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Title: The working relationship of international teaching assistants and undergraduate students.
Creator: Farina, Marcella, Stebbins, Consuelo, Arts and Sciences
Abstract / Description: The present study was conducted to ascertain undergraduate views about the effectiveness of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) in the American classroom. The study was administered to a stratified cluster sampling by college of the target population, undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, Florida. The instrument used, Questionnaire of Undergraduates about International Teaching Assistants (QUITA) as developed by Wanda Fox (1990), is composed of a total...
Show moreThe present study was conducted to ascertain undergraduate views about the effectiveness of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) in the American classroom. The study was administered to a stratified cluster sampling by college of the target population, undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, Florida. The instrument used, Questionnaire of Undergraduates about International Teaching Assistants (QUITA) as developed by Wanda Fox (1990), is composed of a total of 40 items regarding personal and academic background, cultural exposure to and views about non-native speakers of English, and ITA-classroom effectiveness and problem-solving strategies. On the basis of data from the Fall 1998 semester, approximately 15% of the total number of ITA-taught course sections per college were surveyed. The subjects responded anonymously using computerized answer sheets. Upon completion of the data collection phase, all surveys were analyzed for response frequencies. In addition, background and demographic information regarding the participants and information regarding undergraduate exposure to IT As and IT A instruction were also summarized. The Likert-type items were combined to reveal an overall ATITA (Attitude toward International Teaching Assistants) score. The results of the ATITA portion of the study indicate that undergraduate student views toward IT As and IT A instruction are between neutral and mildly positive. Furthermore, survey responses indicated that undergraduates resolve conflicts involving IT As through personal means. The closing recommendations suggest maintaining open lines of communication between undergraduates, ITAs, and administrators alike.
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Date Issued: 1999
Identifier: CFR0003046, ucf:52915
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0003046

Title: Fusing Freight Analysis Framework and Transearch Data: An Econometric Data Fusion Approach.
Creator: Momtaz, Salah Uddin, Eluru, Naveen, Abdel-Aty, Mohamed, Anowar, Sabreena, Zheng, Qipeng, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: A major hurdle in freight demand modeling has always been the lack of adequate data on freight movements for different industry sectors for planning applications. Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), and Transearch (TS) databases contain annualized commodity flow data. The primary motivation for our study is the development of a fused database from FAF and TS to realize transportation network flows at a fine spatial resolution (county-level) while accommodating for production and consumption...
Show moreA major hurdle in freight demand modeling has always been the lack of adequate data on freight movements for different industry sectors for planning applications. Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), and Transearch (TS) databases contain annualized commodity flow data. The primary motivation for our study is the development of a fused database from FAF and TS to realize transportation network flows at a fine spatial resolution (county-level) while accommodating for production and consumption behavioral trends (provided by TS). Towards this end, we formulate and estimate a joint econometric model framework grounded in maximum likelihood approach to estimate county-level commodity flows. The algorithm is implemented for the commodity flow information from 2012 FAF and 2011 TS databases to generate transportation network flows for 67 counties in Florida. The data fusion process considers several exogenous variables including origin-destination indicator variables, socio-demographic and socio-economic indicators, and transportation infrastructure indicators. Subsequently, the algorithm is implemented to develop freight flows for the Florida region considering inflows and outflows across the US and neighboring countries. The base year models developed are employed to predict future year data for years 2015 through 2040 in 5-year increments at the same spatial level. Furthermore, we disaggregate the county level flows obtained from algorithm to a finer resolution - statewide transportation analysis zone (SWTAZ) defined by the FDOT. The disaggregation process allocates truck-based commodity flows from a 79-zone system to an 8835-zone system. A two-stage factor multiplication method is proposed to disaggregate the county flow to SWTAZ flow. The factors are estimated both at the origin and destination level using a random utility factional split model approach. Eventually, we conducted a sensitivity analysis of the parameterization by evaluating the model structure for different numbers of intermediate stops in a route and/or the number of available routes for the origin-destinations.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007763, ucf:52384
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007763

Title: A Place in the Sunshine State : Community, Preservation, and the Parliament House.
Creator: Montgomery, Erin, Lester, Connie, Gannon, Barbara, Pineda, Yovanna, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: A Place in the Sunshine State, is a thesis project focused on the Parliament House Motor Inn in Orlando, Florida. This project nominated the Parliament House Motor Inn for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. This nomination was completed using both oral histories and more traditional historical source material. The Parliament House Motor Inn was evaluated using National Register Bulletins and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Preservation. This nomination was...
Show moreA Place in the Sunshine State, is a thesis project focused on the Parliament House Motor Inn in Orlando, Florida. This project nominated the Parliament House Motor Inn for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. This nomination was completed using both oral histories and more traditional historical source material. The Parliament House Motor Inn was evaluated using National Register Bulletins and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Preservation. This nomination was presented to give voice to a long-underrepresented community within the national narrative of the United States, along with giving the Parliament House the recognition it deserves as an integral institution within the gay community. This nomination sheds new light onto early gay life in Orlando and concludes that Parliament House is a significant historic and cultural resource. This conclusion is vital to the preservation of LGBT history; it allows for a more complex interpretation of Orlando and central Florida history and helps to recognize LGBT history and the sites associated with them. This thesis also discusses Parliament House and its role as a site of the intersections between gay community and identity creation, place making, and the intricate history of the southern United States. ?
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0007128, ucf:52319
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007128

Title: A Digital Media Exploration of the Federal Writers' Project's Folk Song Collecting Expeditions in Depression Era Florida.
Creator: Baker, Holly, Cassanello, Robert, French, Scot, Walker, Ezekiel, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This digital thesis project examines the folk song collecting expeditions of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) in Florida between 1935 and 1942. The FWP carried out numerous folk music collecting expeditions in Florida through the Works Progress Administration. Folklorists such as Zora Neale Hurston, Alan Lomax, and Stetson Kennedy led the expeditions and traveled throughout Florida to record blues, (")jook(") songs, work songs, and traditional music from African American, Cuban, Czech,...
Show moreThis digital thesis project examines the folk song collecting expeditions of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) in Florida between 1935 and 1942. The FWP carried out numerous folk music collecting expeditions in Florida through the Works Progress Administration. Folklorists such as Zora Neale Hurston, Alan Lomax, and Stetson Kennedy led the expeditions and traveled throughout Florida to record blues, (")jook(") songs, work songs, and traditional music from African American, Cuban, Czech, Greek, Minorcan, Seminole, and Slavic communities. While romantic notions of nationalism in the 1930s often promoted homogenization, the FWP emphasized inclusiveness and highlighted cultural diversity. The FWP's approach challenged popular concepts concerning the homogeneousness of American culture and identity. Their recordings indicate that Florida was a patchwork of varied cultures. Yet, Florida's diversity is not adequately highlighted in popular history. Historians often see Florida history through the eyes of the mythologized (")Florida Cracker("), the Celtic pioneer who settled in Florida in the eighteenth century, but the Cracker perspective represents but a square in the patchwork quilt that makes up Florida's cultural history. An exploration of the FWP folk song recordings brings Florida's diversity to the forefront and increases the public's understanding of the state's cultural variety. The project includes a podcast series that features stories about the FWP expeditions, the folklorists, the performers, and the music. It also includes an interactive exhibit that is currently a work in progress. Source materials derived from open-access public archives create an immersive, interactive learning experience.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007153, ucf:52321
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007153

Title: Species and habitat interactions of the gopher tortoise: A keystone species?.
Creator: Catano, Christopher, Hinkle, Charles, Stout, I, Jenkins, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Species-species and species-habitat interactions have been demonstrated to be important in influencing diversity across a variety of ecosystems. Despite generalities in the importance of these interactions, appropriate mechanisms to explain them are absent in many systems. In sandhill systems of the southeast U.S., gopher tortoises have been hypothesized to be a crucial species in the maintenance of diversity and function. However, the mechanisms and magnitude in which they influence their...
Show moreSpecies-species and species-habitat interactions have been demonstrated to be important in influencing diversity across a variety of ecosystems. Despite generalities in the importance of these interactions, appropriate mechanisms to explain them are absent in many systems. In sandhill systems of the southeast U.S., gopher tortoises have been hypothesized to be a crucial species in the maintenance of diversity and function. However, the mechanisms and magnitude in which they influence their communities and habitats have rarely been empirically quantified. I examined how habitat structure influences tortoise abandonment of burrows and how tortoise densities influence non-volant vertebrate community diversity. Tortoise burrow abandonment is directly influenced by canopy closure, with each percent increase in canopy cover relating to a ~2% increase in the probability of burrow abandonment. In addition, tortoise burrow density was positively correlated with diversity and evenness, but not species richness. This influence was directly proportional to burrow density, supporting a dominance role for this species and rejecting the commonly asserted keystone species mechanism. I also quantified the influence of tortoises in influencing diversity relative to other environmental and habitat variables. Through this research, I have demonstrated that disturbance and habitat structure are important, but diversity responds most to density of burrows in the habitat. These findings demonstrate the intricate relationships interacting to maintaining diversity in sandhill systems. In particular, habitat change leading to declines of gopher tortoises may have drastic negative impacts on vertebrate species diversity.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004526, ucf:49246
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004526

Title: The Impact of Moving From SACS Level I to Level II Status on Faculty Employment in the Florida College System.
Creator: Broeker, Christine, Owens, James, Cintron Delgado, Rosa, Cox, Thomas, Boyd, Tammy, Albritton, Frank, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The State of Florida legislatively authorizes Florida community colleges to confer workforce-oriented bachelor's degrees. As part of the legislation, community colleges are required to achieve Level II (baccalaureate-granting) status through Florida's regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC). When moving from SACS Level I to II, former community colleges need to meet the SACS CS 3.7.1 (Qualified Faculty), which requires that...
Show moreThe State of Florida legislatively authorizes Florida community colleges to confer workforce-oriented bachelor's degrees. As part of the legislation, community colleges are required to achieve Level II (baccalaureate-granting) status through Florida's regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC). When moving from SACS Level I to II, former community colleges need to meet the SACS CS 3.7.1 (Qualified Faculty), which requires that faculty who teach baccalaureate courses hold the minimum of a master's degree in field. Further complicating matters, as baccalaureate granting institutions, colleges must also comply with CS 3.5.4, requiring 25% of course hours in the baccalaureate degree major to be taught by terminally-degreed faculty. The purpose of this study was to identify what issues related to faculty credentials, if any, have been observed by Florida's community colleges as part of the process to gain SACS-COC Level II status. Results were analyzed through the lens of Travis Hirschi's Social Control Theory. The results of this study indicate that colleges have reported changes in faculty employment after implementing the community college baccalaureate. The most common types of changes included requirements for faculty to complete additional graduate coursework and moving faculty to different programs with different conditions for credentialing. Other types of changes reported included faculty terminations and retirements. The study found strong evidence supporting the notion that finding terminally-degreed faculty is a problem for institutions moving from Level I to Level II status particularly in the fields of nursing and computer science/information technology. The findings indicate that as Florida's community college baccalaureate programs continue to expand, colleges will need to find creative solutions to address SACS CS 3.5.4 requirement of terminal degrees for faculty.?
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004979, ucf:49597
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004979

Title: Turtle Cam: Live Multimedia Interaction For Engaging Potential Visitor Population To Canaveral National Seashore.
Creator: Tortorelli, Brian, Cabrera, Cheryl, Lindgren, Robb, Reedy, Robert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This project expands the outreach of the Canaveral National Seashore to its visitors, potential visitors, and virtual visitors through its goals in conservancy and preservation of its natural resources. This paper is involved with the current iteration of a series of digital media projects, the Sea Turtle Nest Camera, also known as, Turtle Cam. It details how and why this project was designed to be an ongoing initiative to assist in those goals.
Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004330, ucf:49446
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004330

Title: The Comradeship of the Open Road: The Identity and Influence of the Tin Can Tourists of the World on Automobility, Florida, and National Tourism.
Creator: Burel, David, Foster, Amy, Walker, Ezekiel, Lester, Connie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The identity of the Tin Can Tourists of the World, the first recreation automobile organization, has been poorly defined in the historical discourse, the factors contributing to the 1919 formation of the organization in Tampa, Florida represents a landmark shift in tourism in America towards the automobile.The group's subsequent solidification of a distinct identity gives insight beyond their organization. The thesis defines their identity as well as looks at their impact on American...
Show moreThe identity of the Tin Can Tourists of the World, the first recreation automobile organization, has been poorly defined in the historical discourse, the factors contributing to the 1919 formation of the organization in Tampa, Florida represents a landmark shift in tourism in America towards the automobile.The group's subsequent solidification of a distinct identity gives insight beyond their organization. The thesis defines their identity as well as looks at their impact on American automobility and tourism. The thesis therefore focuses on the previously undefined concept of recreational automobility giving it definition and showing how the group helped to define it.The group's early role in mass use and adaptation of the automobile for recreation represents the first steps in creating a market for recreational vehicles. The imposition of organization on the camping experience by the Tin Can Tourists and their influence on creating special places for the practice of their activities helped define recreational automobility.The footprint left by the Tin Can Tourists helped shape part of America's modern tourist industry. The legacy of their ideas about recreational automobility also suggests influence they had on later groups using recreational vehicles. This thesis examines and clarifies the identity and influence of the Tin Can Tourists of the World as a window on important trends in automobility and tourism.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004306, ucf:49472
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004306

Title: Growing Health: Community Gardens and their Effects on Diet, Physical and Mental Health and Community.
Creator: Hanson, Brittany, Wright, James, Gay, David, Jasinski, Jana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Recently, research on community gardens and their benefits to health and community has become very popular. However, this influx of research has failed to investigate challenges to successful community gardening. Some articles examine issues between community gardeners and the land owners, but other than these conflicts community garden challenges, like lack of participation and quality leadership, have not been discussed in the literature (Draper and Freedman, 2010). To allow future gardens...
Show moreRecently, research on community gardens and their benefits to health and community has become very popular. However, this influx of research has failed to investigate challenges to successful community gardening. Some articles examine issues between community gardeners and the land owners, but other than these conflicts community garden challenges, like lack of participation and quality leadership, have not been discussed in the literature (Draper and Freedman, 2010). To allow future gardens to be as successful as possible it is important to identify potential obstacles. Additionally, it is just as important to continue to examine possible benefits, for example, physical activity and health benefits of community gardening and the breadth of community issues possibly addressed by community gardeners. Continuing to research on community will allow for more successful gardens and encourage funding for these programs. This study examines how food insecurity, health and community cohesion issues can be affected by community gardens in Central Florida. It also investigates challenges community gardens often face. To do this I conducted structured interviews with community gardeners and semi-structured interviews with community garden leaders at several gardens throughout Orange County, Florida. The results show that community gardens have several benefits including increased consumption of fresh produce, improved physical activity, mental health and community cohesion. However, gardens are not without difficulties. About a third of the gardeners and the majority of the leaders said that lack of participation was a challenge they faced.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004382, ucf:49405
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004382

Title: Community Participation and Travel Choice: An Analysis of Central Florida New Urban and Conventional Suburban Residents.
Creator: Mikovsky, Laura, Korosec, Ronnie, Hawkins, Christopher, Knox, Claire, Beitsch, Owen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between the built environment and social and transportation outcomes when comparing traditional and conventional suburban neighborhoods, but much remains to be learned about whether New Urbanism can produce similar results. Among studies where new urban neighborhoods have been assessed, most have centered on regions with highly-utilized public transit systems and with climates that are amenable to utilitarian physical activity. This research...
Show morePrevious research has demonstrated a relationship between the built environment and social and transportation outcomes when comparing traditional and conventional suburban neighborhoods, but much remains to be learned about whether New Urbanism can produce similar results. Among studies where new urban neighborhoods have been assessed, most have centered on regions with highly-utilized public transit systems and with climates that are amenable to utilitarian physical activity. This research sought to build on the existing research base through direct comparison of new urban and conventional suburban neighborhoods in central Florida, a region with an under-developed transit system and a climate that renders utilitarian physical activity impractical. Further, this research sought to lend greater insights into neighborhood selection factors across neighborhood types.(<)p(>)(<)p(>)A mixed-methods, single-case design was utilized to evaluate one new urban and one conventional suburban neighborhood in the central Florida region. Regional new urban neighborhoods were subjectively rated for adherence to tenets of the Charter of the New Urbanism, with the neighborhood (Celebration, in Osceola County, FL) found to most closely adhere to these tenets selected as the experimental group for the study. A socio-demographically comparable conventional suburban neighborhood (Sweetwater, in Seminole County, FL) was selected as the control group. Quantitative methods consisted of a household survey issued to 250 randomly- and convenience-sampled addresses in each neighborhood, followed by regression analysis to evaluate study hypotheses. Qualitative methods employed analysis of open-ended survey responses, detailed case studies of selected neighborhoods, and resident interviews. The household survey yielded net response rates of 15.79 percent and 25.50 percent for experimental and control neighborhoods, respectively, and a mean cross-neighborhood response rate of 20.64 percent. Twenty resident interviews (10 per neighborhood) were conducted. Quantitative and qualitative findings were compared to collectively address research questions.(<)p(>)(<)p(>)Regression results indicated no statistically significant difference between neighborhoods in attitudinal and behavioral components of community participation, in vehicle miles driven per week, or utilitarian physical activity frequency. However, results indicated that new urban residents had more positive attitudes toward utilitarian physical activity than conventional suburban residents and that attitudes toward community participation and utilitarian physical activity were positively correlated with associated behaviors. Qualitative findings provided substantial individual- and environmental-level insights to factors impacting evaluated attitudes and behaviors, and supported some quantitative findings while not aligning with others. Neighborhood selection factors were found to be quite different across neighborhoods: Celebration residents identified neighborhood social atmosphere and connection to the Walt Disney Company brand as top contributors to their selection decision, while Sweetwater residents expressed that access to quality schools was the most important factor in their selection decision. Qualitative findings indicated that car culture and climate within the central Florida region diminished both attitudinal and behavioral components of utilitarian physical activity across neighborhood types.(<)p(>)(<)p(>)This research expanded the understanding of the social and transportation outcomes of New Urbanism, particularly with respect to the central Florida region. While case and quantitative limitations may have impeded the ability of this study to draw decisive conclusions about research questions, distinctive themes regarding social and transportation outcomes were identified. Findings of this research supported those of some prior studies while contradicting others, indicating that further exploration is needed to establish a firm understanding of the capabilities of new urban development to achieve desired outcomes, and of regional characteristics that may influence these outcomes.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004413, ucf:49376
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004413

Title: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THINKING MAPSÃ‚Â® AND FLORIDA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT TESTÃ‚Â® READING AND MATHEMATICS SCORES IN TWO URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
Creator: Diaz, Anna, Martin, Suzanne, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this study was to determine what difference, if any, exists between the implementation and use of Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® and studentsÃ‚Â' academic achievement in Reading and Mathematics as measured over time by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment TestÃ‚Â® (FCAT). Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® is a registered trademark of Thinking Maps, Inc. The data were examined after three years of Thinking MapsÃ&...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine what difference, if any, exists between the implementation and use of Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® and studentsÃ‚Â' academic achievement in Reading and Mathematics as measured over time by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment TestÃ‚Â® (FCAT). Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® is a registered trademark of Thinking Maps, Inc. The data were examined after three years of Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® implementation and instruction. The design of this study was quantitative, with a nonrandomized control group, pretest-posttest design (Ary, Jacobs, & Razavieh, 2002) that examined the effects on student Reading and Mathematics FCAT scores in one middle school that implemented Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® throughout all grade levels and core subjects for three years as compared to student Reading and Mathematics FCAT scores in a second middle school that did not implement the Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® program throughout all grade levels and core subjects for three years. MANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to examine student FCAT scores. This study focused on one major question: Do students who have been instructed in the use of Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® have higher academic achievement as measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment TestÃ‚Â® (FCAT) than those that have not been instructed in the use of Thinking MapsÃ‚Â®? Results of this study indicated that students who have been instructed in the use of Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® do not have higher academic achievement as measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment TestÃ‚Â® (FCAT) than those who have not been instructed in the use of Thinking MapsÃ‚Â®. The researcher concluded that other methods of evaluating the implementation of Thinking MapsÃ‚Â® and student achievement should be explored.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003319, ucf:48448
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003319

Title: SPECIES COMPOSITION AND SPATIOTEMPORAL PATTERN OF THE SEED BANK AND VEGETATION IN NATIVE AND DEGRADED FLORIDA ROSEMARY SCRUB.
Creator: Navarra, Jennifer, Quintana-Ascencio, Pedro, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The soil seed bank plays a dynamic role in the regeneration of plant communities after natural and anthropogenic disturbance. In this thesis, I addressed how disturbances influence the vegetation and seed bank of Florida rosemary scrub. In Chapter One I evaluated changes in species composition and spatiotemporal pattern of the vegetation and seed bank along a gradient of disturbance. During the summers and winters of 2007-2009 percent ground cover and seed bank species composition were...
Show moreThe soil seed bank plays a dynamic role in the regeneration of plant communities after natural and anthropogenic disturbance. In this thesis, I addressed how disturbances influence the vegetation and seed bank of Florida rosemary scrub. In Chapter One I evaluated changes in species composition and spatiotemporal pattern of the vegetation and seed bank along a gradient of disturbance. During the summers and winters of 2007-2009 percent ground cover and seed bank species composition were assessed among replicates of three vegetation types subjected to minimal, moderate, and extreme anthropogenic disturbance (native rosemary scrub, degraded scrub, and agriculturally improved pasture, respectively). These vegetation types shared the same soil and topographic characteristics but differed in disturbance history. I found that species composition and spatial pattern varied with disturbance. In pastures the compositional and structural characteristics of rosemary scrub were lost and only native scrub species able to evade herbivory persisted in this community. Native and degraded scrub differed most from each other in species abundances and spatial pattern. Degraded scrub showed highest abundance of subshrubs and a spike moss species, while rosemary scrub was dominated by shrubs. The seed banks of scrub herbs in degraded scrub had a tendency towards a random spatial distribution that lacked association with aboveground cover. Conversely, rosemary scrub seed banks tended to have an aggregated distribution and were associated with occurrence of conspecific species aboveground, litter, and shrub cover. These results indicated a change in the spatial heterogeneity of the seed banks of scrub herbs in degraded scrub. In Chapter Two I evaluated changes in seed bank density with time-since-fire in native rosemary scrub. Due to large pulses of recruitment immediately after fire and population decline with time-since-fire, I predicted seed density with time-since-fire would follow a unimodal function with low density in early and late years post-fire, and highest density at intermediate time-since-fire. I compared seed density data among sites with different time-since-fire: two sites each of three, six, ten and 24 years time-since-fire and three long-unburned sites (> 24 years). Variability in seed bank composition and density increased with time-since-fire and only recently burned stands were distinctly different from the other time-since-fire age classes. Some species and functional groups did exhibit a quadratic or cubic association to time-since-fire (ruderal herbs, subshrubs, Ceratiola ericoides, Lechea cernua, Paronychia chartacea, Phyllanthus tenellus); however, timing of the peak in seed density varied depending on life span and age of reproductive maturity. Scrub herbs were the most abundant functional group in the seed bank and showed highest density in the first ten years post-fire. This pattern corresponds to the pattern of aboveground species abundance and suggests abundances above- and belowground are closely linked. Understanding the dynamics of the seed bank in both naturally and anthropogenically disturbed communities in Florida rosemary scrub is important for the restoration of scrub habitat and management of existing populations of endangered and threatened scrub species endemic to the Lake Wales Ridge in central Florida.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003108, ucf:48620
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003108

Title: Closing the Gaps in Professional Development: A Tool for School-based Leadership Teams.
Creator: Sampayo, Sandra, Boote, David, Hayes, Grant, Vitale, Thomas, Flanigan, Jacquelyn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The field of professional learning in education has been studied and added to extensively in the last few decades. Because the importance of learning in authentic contexts through professional dialogue has become so important, high quality, school-based professional learning is vital to building capacity at the school level. Unfortunately, the literature on professional development (PD) does not provide much guidance on how to bridge theory and practice at the school level, creating a gap....
Show moreThe field of professional learning in education has been studied and added to extensively in the last few decades. Because the importance of learning in authentic contexts through professional dialogue has become so important, high quality, school-based professional learning is vital to building capacity at the school level. Unfortunately, the literature on professional development (PD) does not provide much guidance on how to bridge theory and practice at the school level, creating a gap. With the goal of PD ultimately being to improve teacher performance and student learning, the problem with this gap is that school-level professional development is arbitrarily planned, resulting in variable outcomes. I propose the reason for this is schools lack a comprehensive framework or tool that guides the design of a quality professional learning plan. This problem was identified in Orange County Public School and this dissertation in practice aims at developing a solution that accounts for the district's specific contextual needs. My proposed solution is the design of an integrative tool that school leaders can use to guide them through the professional development planning process. The School-based Professional Learning Design Tool incorporates the professional development standards in planning, learning, implementing, and evaluating outlined in the Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol. It also guides leaders in taking an inventory of the culture and context of their school in order to plan PD that will be viable given those considerations. The components of the Tool guide teams through assessing school teacher performance and student achievement data to help identify focus groups; determining gaps in learning through root cause analysis; creating goals aligned to gaps in performance; and selecting strategies for professional learning, follow-up support, and evaluation. The development of the Tool was informed by the extant literature on professional development, organizational theory, state and national standards for professional development, and principles of design. The Tool is to be completed in four phases. Phases one and two, the focus of this paper, include the literature review, organizational assessment, design specifications, and the first iteration of the Tool. In the next phases, the goals are to solicit feedback from an expert panel review, create a complete version of the Tool, and pilot it in elementary schools. Although the development of the Tool through its final phases will refine it considerably, there are limitations that will transcend all iterations. While the Tool incorporates best practices in professional development, the lack of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of specific PD elements in the literature renders this Tool only a best guess in helping schools plan effective professional development. Another limitation is that the Tool is not prescriptive and cannot use school data to make decisions for what strategies to implement. Taking these limitations into consideration, the use of this Tool can significantly impact the quality and effectiveness of professional development in schools.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005883, ucf:50889
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005883

Title: The Effect of the Great Recession on Local Goverment Policy in Florida.
Creator: Levey, Richard, Martin, Lawrence, Zhang, Ning, Lawther, Wendell, Hawkins, Christopher, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The length and depth of the Great Recession of 2008 provides an opportunity to examine the policy behavior of local governments unlike any window since the 1930's post Depression era. Utilizing Peterson's (1981) City Limits typology as a framework for local government policy allows for an evaluation of whether or not the economic downturn caused local governments to change their relative expenditures between policy categories. The City Limits typology has been widely used in the literature to...
Show moreThe length and depth of the Great Recession of 2008 provides an opportunity to examine the policy behavior of local governments unlike any window since the 1930's post Depression era. Utilizing Peterson's (1981) City Limits typology as a framework for local government policy allows for an evaluation of whether or not the economic downturn caused local governments to change their relative expenditures between policy categories. The City Limits typology has been widely used in the literature to explain how expenditures define a local government's role in economic development. The typology has had limited use in a pre-post natural experimental research design to determine if a local government has 'shifted' policy priorities as measured by changes in expenditures among and between policy categories. This research design and the use Peterson's framework combine for a study that has not yet been conducted under similar conditions.Most of the existing literature, including the research from the 1980's, failed to account for inter-state differences that directly affect local government expenditures and policy. Concentrating solely on Florida local governments, this study eliminates the confounding nature of a national study and ensures that the unit of analysis is comparable for research purposes. The study utilizes actual expenditure data for all cities and counties in Florida from FY2006 through FY2011. The research tests for the relationships between changes in policy priorities from pre- to post-recession, and the type of government, form of government, and various socio-economic factors.The research contributes to a new body of knowledge that is just beginning to emerge in the literature about how local governments respond to periods of extreme fiscal stress. The findings suggest that cities and counties had an inverse response from pre- to post-recession with cities shifting toward developmental expenditures and counties prioritizing allocational spending. Differences were also found between forms of government. In addition, the density of population was found to contribute differently to shifts in expenditures for cities and counties. The study identifies emerging patterns that can help local governments understand past behavior and better anticipate future economic downturns.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005971, ucf:50782
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005971

Title: The Communicative Value of EMR Education: Medical Students' Perceptions of Introductions to EMRs.
Creator: Burry, Justiss, Scott, Blake, Wheeler, Stephanie, Brenckle, Martha, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research in medical education includes a number of studies that describe the complexities (Tierney et al., 2013; Gagon et al., 2009; Pippitt, Stevenson, (&) Samuelson, 2013), benefits (Milano et al., 2014; Hammoud et al., 2012; Silverman et al., 2014), and limitations (Peled, Sagher, Morrow, (&) Dobbie, 2009; Wald, George, Reis, (&) Taylor, 2014; Pelletier, 2016) of helping medical students understand and achieve fluency with electronic medical records (EMRs). In addition, studies in the...
Show moreResearch in medical education includes a number of studies that describe the complexities (Tierney et al., 2013; Gagon et al., 2009; Pippitt, Stevenson, (&) Samuelson, 2013), benefits (Milano et al., 2014; Hammoud et al., 2012; Silverman et al., 2014), and limitations (Peled, Sagher, Morrow, (&) Dobbie, 2009; Wald, George, Reis, (&) Taylor, 2014; Pelletier, 2016) of helping medical students understand and achieve fluency with electronic medical records (EMRs). In addition, studies in the rhetoric of health and medicine (RHM) have been calling to attention the effectiveness of rhetorical studies within medical contexts (Scott, Segal, (&) Keranen, 2013; Segal, 2005; Rausch, 2016; Fountain, 2014; Melocon and Frost, 2015; Graham and Herndl, 2014). However, there is not a unified idea of the best way to teach EMR fluency, nor is there any research that studies and analyzes the perceptions of students in their undergraduate medical education, including their pre-clerkship years. This thesis investigates students' perceptions of their medical education at the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine (UCF COM), specifically how 76 students who participated in surveys and focus group interviews perceive and engage with their education and ideas of EMR application and fluency. It also compares their perceptions with the goals of the module directors who designed the curriculum. In its analysis, this thesis employs classical and contemporary scholarship about stasis theory (Crowley and Hawhee, 2012; Fahnestock and Secor, 1988) to identify points of congruence and dissonance between students and module directors, as well as across cohorts of students in their first, second, and third years. Through data analysis, I found key points of congruence and dissonance between the perceptions and experiences of students and goals of module directors. I also identified key factors affecting both groups, such as the time constraints of the curriculum and the fact that hospitals use different EMR systems. The results of this study demonstrate the complexities of medical education and EMR education for both students and module directors. By understanding how rhetoric can be more beneficial to other fields, such as medical education, this study can help those creating curricula better reach outcomes that both students and licensing boards will appreciate. That said, more research needs to be conducted to understand how regulated medical education creates these points of contention between future physician curriculum designers.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006723, ucf:51887
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006723

Title: Lonely Monsters.
Creator: Davis, Patricia, Rushin, Pat, Thaxton, Terry, Neal, Mary, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Lonely Monsters is a full-length feature screenplay that explores the ways in which a classic damsel narrative may be reconsidered. It offers ideas on how death and girlhood may find symmetry. The characters within Lonely Monsters deal with loss, identity of the self versus the world's ideas on self-identity, place, gender, and class. Utilizing the elements of a fairy tale, the narrative seeks to complicate the roles of gender in a cautionary tale. Set in the fictional Florida town of Puerto...
Show moreLonely Monsters is a full-length feature screenplay that explores the ways in which a classic damsel narrative may be reconsidered. It offers ideas on how death and girlhood may find symmetry. The characters within Lonely Monsters deal with loss, identity of the self versus the world's ideas on self-identity, place, gender, and class. Utilizing the elements of a fairy tale, the narrative seeks to complicate the roles of gender in a cautionary tale. Set in the fictional Florida town of Puerto Palmera, an economic divide between the Estates and the Glades makes for a ripe, troublesome environment for a foul modern-day aristocrat who masquerades as a grandiose and romantic prince. The story's protagonist, Fisher Franklin, loses two key relationships(-)as well as her sound mind(-)in the wake of the false prince's folly. Utilizing her experiences as a child within the lavish lives of the Estates(-)at the desire of a wealthy and secretive benefactor with motives of her own(-)Fisher creates a persona who becomes entangled in a lustful and dangerous liaison with Wyatt Sharpe, the villainous playboy. By assuming this persona, Fisher recasts herself as the damsel, the monster, and the heroine.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005600, ucf:50232
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005600

Title: Comparison of Traditional Educative Delivery to Online Education in United States History as Measured by Florida's End-Of-Course Examinations in a Large Urban School District in Central Florida.
Creator: Wilson, William, Murray, Barbara, Murray, Kenneth, Baldwin, Lee, Holt, Larry, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Student participation in online courses has been growing steadily for the past decade, and the trend appears to continue the growth in this form of instructional delivery method for the foreseeable future (iNACOL, 2012). To date, little research exploring student success rates exists in the social studies. This particular study was conducted to examine what differences, if any, existed in the End-Of-Course (EOC) scores of 11th grade United States history students who took the course in a...
Show moreStudent participation in online courses has been growing steadily for the past decade, and the trend appears to continue the growth in this form of instructional delivery method for the foreseeable future (iNACOL, 2012). To date, little research exploring student success rates exists in the social studies. This particular study was conducted to examine what differences, if any, existed in the End-Of-Course (EOC) scores of 11th grade United States history students who took the course in a traditional, face-to-face format versus students who took the same course online through Florida Virtual School. For this study, proper permission was received from all interested parties, and a sample of 9,339 End of Course (EOC) examinations were taken from 36 high schools in a large, urban school district in Central Florida. All identifiable data were scrubbed from the sample. Due to the extremely small sampling of online students, the One-Sample Wilcoxon test was used on four research questions to compare students in the traditional, face-to-face versus online format and based on ethnicity, gender, and free-and-reduced lunch status.Overall, none of the One-Sample Wilcoxon tests indicated the presence of a significant difference among any subgroup(-)overall, White, non-White, female, male, high socioeconomic status, or low socioeconomic status. Therefore, none of the null hypotheses presented were rejected. Recommendations included replicating the study on a broader scale and conducting a qualitative study to examine the characteristics of online students, their similarities and differences, to those of students who attend class in a face-to-face format.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005444, ucf:50391
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005444

Title: The Texar's revenge: or, North against South.
Creator: Verne, Jules, PALMM (Project)
Abstract / Description: Fictional story of Florida during the Civil War with many descriptions of flora and fauna. Original Date Field: 189?
Date Issued: 1890
Identifier: AAB6351QF00001/18/200512/01/200615903BfamI D0QF, FHP C CF 2005-01-19, FIPS12109, huc30801, FCLA url 20050623, FCLA url 20061117xOCLC, 76835911, CF00001701, 2700143, ucf:18673
Format: E-book
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/tc/fhp/CF00001701.jpg

Title: Pioneers of France in the New World.
Creator: Parkman, Francis, PALMM (Project)
Abstract / Description: Describes French discoveries and colonization efforts in North America, especially in Florida and Canada. Topics covered include: the background of Spanish explorations; French relations with the Spanish, the Indians and the English; and political events in France that affected French activities in the Americas.
Date Issued: 1907
Identifier: AAA7990QF00010/16/200310/26/200414499BfamIa D0QF, ONICF132- 0, FHP C CF 2003-10-16, FCLA url 20041021xOCLC, 56815984, CF00001665, 2576696, ucf:16653
Format: E-book
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/tc/fhp/CF00001665.jpg

Title: Hotel Polk, Haines City Florida.
Creator: PALMM (Project)
Abstract / Description: Small brochure promoting the Hotel Polk (built in 1926) and recreational activities in Haines City.
Date Issued: 1928
Identifier: AAC3723QF00002/02/200706/21/200714812BnamI D0QF, FHP C CF 2007-02-02, FIPS12105, FCLA url 20070528xOCLC, 144756897, CF00001746, 2704279, ucf:19980
Format: E-book
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/tc/fhp/CF00001746.jpg

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