Saint Anselm College

About: Saint Anselm College is a education organization based out in Manchester, New Hampshire, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Politics & Nurse education. The organization has 255 authors who have published 522 publications receiving 7222 citations.

Service-Learning in Physics: The Consultant Model

Abstract: Problem solving, both theoretical and practical, is the underlying skill developed through the physics curriculum Service-learning has been integrated into engineering curricula, but programs proposed for that field often do not fit well into the structure of physics departments A consultant-based approach to service-learning offers physics students the opportunity to apply their problem-solving skills for the benefit of others As service-learning consultants, physics students provide technical and managerial support to groups that are participating in technically oriented educational enrichment activities

The Equivocation Defense of Cognitive Relativism

Abstract: What makes arguments from self-refutation particularly attractive to many philosophers is that they seem specially decisive in philosophical controversies. Arguments from self-refutation eliminate positions as untenable without appeal to any claims other than those made in the position attacked in that way; nothing other than what is contained within the self-refutating position is used to show its inadequacy. The danger of begging the question is thus circumvented, and the proponent of a position successfully attacked in this way has no further philosophical moves he can make from within his position; he must alter or abandon it. Arguments from self-refutation, if successful, are thus conclusive stopping points in the dialectic of philosophic controversy. They establish limits beyond which that dialectic cannot go, beyond which significant philosophic controversy is impossible.

Characterization of Roman glass tesserae from the Coriglia excavation site (Italy) via energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy

Abstract: The combined use of handheld energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, and micro-energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry permitted the characterization of Roman glass tesserae excavation from the Coriglia (Italy) archeological site. Analyses of ten different glass colors were conducted as spot analyses on intact samples and as both spot analyses and line scans on select cross-sectioned samples. The elemental and molecular information gained from these spectral measurements allowed for the qualitative chemical characterization of the bulk glass, decolorants, opacifiers, and coloring agents. The use of an antimony opacifier in many of the samples supports the late Imperial phasing as determined through numismatic, fresco, ceramics, and architectural evidence. And dealinization of the exterior glass layers caused by the burial environment was confirmed.

Stealing for love? Apparent nuptial gift behavior in a kleptoparasitic spider

Abstract: The presentation of nutritional resources as nuptial gifts before or during the mating process is well known among insects, but has only rarely been documented in spiders. Here, we report on observations and a series of photographs made during field studies in Fortin de las Flores, Veracruz, Mexico, which, although a single anecdotal report, represent a potentially significant finding. A male of the kleptoparasitic spider Argyrodes elevatus Taczanowski 1873 (Araneae, Theridiidae) was observed stealing a prey item from within a communal web of its host, the colonial orb-weaver Metepeira incrassata F.O. Pickard-Cambridge 1903 (Araneae, Araneidae). The male A. elevatus then carried and presented the prey item to a female, waited nearby until she began feeding, and copulated with her as she fed upon it. As far as is known, this is the first report of kleptoparasitic Argyrodes apparently utilizing a prey item stolen from a host spider as a nuptial gift.

A Cross-Disciplines and Cross-Sector Mixed-Methods Examination of Design Thinking Practices and Outcome

Abstract: This mixed method study investigated design thinking (DT) practices and outcomes from across disciplinary frameworks within one institution of higher education. Building upon prior DT studies, it examined three interlocking research questions: What DT practices are being implemented across the curriculum? What kinds of outcomes do faculty observe? What are the significant relationships between particular practices and observed outcomes? Thirty-five courses were examined via a faculty survey adapted from Liedtka and Bahr (2019), and a semi-structured interview created by Lake, Ricco, and Whipps (2018). In alignment with liberal arts educational practices, the most frequently utilized DT practices included working in teams that recognize diverse contributions and engaging in active listening in order to find shared meaning. Consistent with expectations for project- and team-based courses, faculty felt such practices yielded valued outcomes, concluding DT practices built trust across teams and increased the quality of solutions. Relationships between practices and outcomes revealed the utilization of more ethnographic tools was associated with a lower frequency of expanding relationships and resources, and that a greater focus on design criteria to find an ideal solution hampered efforts towards trust building. These findings suggest DT requires time and trust which can be constrained by the imposed deadlines of semester-based projects. The survey and interviews pointed to both similarities and differences between disciplines in DT practices. Future research investigating design thinking pedagogy should include faculty, students, and stakeholders with multiple touchpoints for assessment to identify learning experiences that build change-making capacities and yield genuinely valuable and viable real world projects.