Category: Academics

Academics, Stories, USF News

USF Adjunct Instructor Lauren O’Connor Publishes Book

Lauren O'Connor

Looking for something new to read? Take a look at a new book published by USF adjunct instructor Lauren O’Connor: “Robin and the Making of American Adolescence.”

In O’Connor’s first semester at  USF, she teaches College Writing I and Introduction to Literature. Even though she is new to the university, she says she “already feels so at home!” 

She shares that her book is about the social and cultural history of superhero Batman’s sidekick Robin, and how Robin was both a product and producer of the idea of the “American teenager.” The book looks at how adolescence intersects with a variety of identities, like race, gender and sexuality—all the while using Robin as a case study.

When asked why she chose this topic for her book, O’Connor responded, “I started my career as an adolescent counselor, and I felt really strongly while working in this field that the way we are taught to understand teenagers was not very accurate.”

She further explained that the stereotype of teens being dramatic, poor decision makers or overly emotional seemed reductive to her. She said that she chose to research Robin, in particular, because he is the oldest comic book teenager that is still around today, and many different characters have filled the role of Batman’s partner, so interesting comparisons can be made. 

O’Connor also says the book was a revision of her doctoral dissertation.

“It was very long and involved,” she explained. “I spent about four years total conducting this research and writing the book.”

O’Connor mentions that she had a wonderful group of advisors and a great editor assisting her. Even though the process was long and time-consuming, she says she can’t complain because she “got to read lots of fun comics!”

The book has been described as entertaining and funny. O’Connor worked hard to make it accessible and compelling, while also delivering lots of information about teenagers in society today to the reader.

You can learn more and order O’Connor’s “Robin and the Making of American Adolescence” on Amazon, or on the Rutgers University Press website.

Academics, Stories, USF Events, USF News

Student Presenters Share & Learn at USF Writers’ Conference

USF’s Mary Kate Hynek and MaKenzie Munson were recently interviewed by sophomore Hannah Mitchell about their experiences as student presenters at the November 13 Writers’ Conference. The conference, hosted by the USF English Department, took place on Saturday, November 13. Poet Naoko Fujimoto gave the keynote address.

Q. What was it like creating your own graphic poem during the workshop with Naoko? 

MH: Creating a graphic poem with Naoko Fujimoto was an experience like no other; I’ve never worked with graphics and poetry in combination before (although I am a huge advocate for graphics and writing working together), so the process opened my eyes to new ways of thinking that I can incorporate into my creative writing process. Naoko’s energy and passion really inspired me to create, and she made me feel part of a creative community of writers. 

Q. What was your presentation about? 

MH: My presentation, titled “Dying Rose,” was a work of short fiction and an adaptation of a graphic novel scene set to appear in a future collaborative project. This piece is the result of seven years of collaboration and character development. The main character of this piece, a young man named Briar who struggles with an ancestral curse that causes irrational insanity, will be one of the main characters appearing in the graphic novel. My collaborative partner made an appearance during my presentation, and we emphasized the benefits of images and words coming together to create something amazing. My presentation won best overall performance at the SFWC. 

MM: My presentation was a paper I wrote for my foundations II class that focused on analyzing the movie The Social Network.

Q. How did it feel to present your work in front of a group of people?

MH: Presenting something that I put my heart and soul into was a nerve-wracking experience. Never before had I presented such a treasured piece of writing outside of a classroom setting. My parents, professors, and peers were all watching, and I was hoping my reading would be clear and concise. I made sure to read with emotion, and the nerves I felt before reading my piece disappeared. It was rewarding to hear the applause (and to applaud my fellow presenters) as I finished; the SFWC was such a positive, supportive environment. Presenting in a conference setting boosted my confidence and gave me valuable experience as a writer. 

MM: I have experience with public speaking but have not been able to do it for a while, so it felt great to be in front of an audience again! 

Q. Overall, what was your takeaway from this experience? 

MH: Overall, the SFWC was an incredible experience. It allowed me to make connections, share my work, and appreciate the work of other writers. Perhaps, most of all, I learned so much at the SFWC. I’m so glad that the University of St. Francis has a safe, supportive environment for writers.

MM: While I loved sharing my own work, the most inspiring part of the conference was hearing from others and being part of a space that included so many other talented and passionate writers. 

Academics, Saint Spotlights, Stories

Internships Add Value to USF Education

Internships are a great way for students to get in-field experience and explore potential careers. Take it from COBHA senior Caitlin Bruemmer, who recently designed and published a website for her internship at Innovative Kitchen and Bath in New Lenox, Illinois: ishopinnovative.com.

“I gained a lot of professionalism working at my internship over the summer. Much of my job there involved assisting the company in finding new opportunities to expand our inventory, so I spent a great deal of time arranging appointments and informing outside sales professionals of the company goals and values,” Bruemmer said.

“I definitely have USF to thank for some of the communication skills I utilized during my internship. The many writing pieces and presentations I have had to prepare in my business classes contributed to my ability to design the company’s website.”

Almost every undergraduate student at USF will have the opportunity to do an internship at some point in their academic career. Internships give  students real-world experience and professional skills to be used in future career endeavors, as well as unique learning opportunities you can’t find in a classroom alone.

“Throughout my internship, I learned how vital marketing strategy is for companies that are just starting out. The company should know how to best reach and attract its target customer. Otherwise, the future success of the company can become uncertain. When writing content for the website, I had to choose specific words that I knew would make our company stand out over our competitors. My internship was overall a great learning experience that I am grateful to have completed,” said Bruemmer.

To find your own internship opportunities, visit the USF Career Success Center in person or online at stfrancis.edu/career-success-center.

Academics, Saint Spotlights

Dan Knapp Talks Social Work

dan knapp headshotVisiting professor Dan Knapp, Ph.D., LSW, USF’s Bachelor of Social Work program director, was recently interviewed recently by an online social work resource called “MSW Online.” Read his expert advice about pursuing a BSW (and consider USF for yours!)

What are the most important factors for students deciding on a BSW program?
Many students have a strong passion for what they want to learn in addition to how they want to apply that learning. One of the most important factors for deciding on a BSW program is to follow that passion. For example, many people who enter the helping profession have a strong desire to improve the lives of others or advance some process or policy that influences others. A social work degree effectively prepares students to become these change agents.

What kinds of hands-on or fieldwork experiences are available to your BSW students?
Students are offered very diverse opportunities. These opportunities can include, but are not limited to, experiences in healthcare (i.e., hospitals or nursing home-related), child welfare agencies, county services, schools, advocacy centers, and crisis centers to name a few. Students will have opportunities to work with a wide range of populations throughout the developmental periods (i.e., adolescents through late states of life), veterans, homelessness, people of varying cultural or racial backgrounds, and those with mental illness as examples.

Can students take electives, or customize their BSW experience?
Students are required to enroll in specific foundational courses that effectively prepare them to work with diverse populations. In addition, students have opportunities to register for additional elective courses that can provide added experiences to specific areas of social work practice.

What does it take to be successful as a BSW student?
A strong desire to learn and help others. As a part of any clinical practice, students must have a desire to improve themselves first. This means taking the time to learn and assess their strengths and talents. Then, students can apply the skills and knowledge learned to help others.

What types of jobs are BSW graduates finding?
Students are finding jobs within hospitals, nursing home facilities, advocacy centers, and activity directors for mentorship programs to name a few. Many students elect to enroll in the one-year MSW program to obtain their master’s in social work degree which effectively opens opportunities for jobs such as other areas of healthcare, schools, private practice, etc.

If you had to choose one or two books, articles, documentaries, podcasts, etc. to be included on a required reading list for social work students, what would it be?
This is a great question, and I would always recommend students to invest time into recently published materials found on the scholarly databases. For example, what is currently literature saying about people’s mental health given COVID-19 and how does this compare to prior decades? How are different cultures or racial groups being impacted? Now, if I have to truly provide one resource, I have always enjoyed the video called The Secret Life of the Brain which helps students understand the power of the brain on human functioning.

Academics, Stories

DNP Students Utilize Translational Research

Scholarship and research are the hallmarks of doctoral education. In nursing education, an expanded perspective of scholarship has emerged that involves the translation of research into practice and the dissemination and integration of new knowledge, which the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) states are key activities of DNP graduates.

“Research-focused doctoral programs in nursing are designed to prepare graduates with the research skills necessary for discovering new knowledge in the discipline,” said DNP director and assistant dean for graduate programs, Dr. Susan Hibben. “In contrast, DNP graduates provide leadership for evidence-based practice. This requires competence in knowledge application activities: the translation of research into practice, the evaluation of practice, improvement of the reliability of health care practice and outcomes, and participation in collaborative research.”

As one of the building skills for the DNP project, students collaborate in the process of a Systematic Review. In this process, the graduate nursing student incorporates education and research into a practice that is reflective of the dynamic needs of a diverse population.

One project by DNP candidate Sharon Reams Henry, titled “Building a Stronger Workforce for Nurses That Work in Post-acute Care, Focusing on Structural Empowerment and Reducing Nurse Turnover,” shed light on the shortage of nurses in post-acute care and how it is just one of many significant problems that challenge and impact health care. It often seen as the last level of care, according to Henry.

“This nursing shortage indirectly contributes to increasing demands and workload among other team members, which in turn tends to affect associate engagement, morale, and retention of those employees. As the workload increase among nurses in home health, this also impacts vacancy and turnover and puts a tremendous strain on nursing administrators and other health care leaders to find innovative ways to attract more nurses to post-acute care,” she explained.

Henry’s research supported the fact that it remains critically necessary for home healthcare providers to attract, recruit, and retain nursing staff to reduce overhead, often resulting in increased organization costs. 

Said Henry, “I have worked in-home care for over 25 years and have seen nurses in-home care struggle and leave due to burnout from the stress of keeping up with the documentation and constant change due to new regulatory guidance from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This project will aim to build a more robust workforce in post-acute care for nurses by promoting structural empowerment, work-life balance, and a mentorship/mentee program. Professionally, it allowed me to generate a translation of evidence to a workforce such as post-acute care that is limited by gaining in-depth knowledge from research with the development of effective evidence-based interventions and the implementation of a quality improvement recommendations, that could help to build a stronger workforce that is sustainable and one that would support and reduce nursing turnover in post-acute care.”

Through this advanced leadership role, the DNP graduate becomes instrumental in ensuring health promotion, health maintenance and health restoration for society. Through scientific inquiry and collaborative relationships, the DNP-prepared advanced practice nurse continually augments and refines the science of nursing.

In LCON’s graduate programs, students perform a critical literature review in their Research and Biostatics course and continue to develop this clinical topic in their evidence-based practice course as a project proposal. For FNP students, by the time they are in their final clinical residency course, they have transformed this from paper, to a proposal slide set, to a conference-ready poster. Typically, posters are presented on campus, but because of COVID, and with assistance from full-time and adjunct faculty, students presented this spring and summer via Zoom, using breakout rooms “and patience,” added Hibben. This allowed for scholarly dialogue for each project with students and faculty. 

Academics, Stories

USF Teacher Candidates Explore Lunchtime Learning with Special Needs Students

Teacher candidates in Dr. Srimani Chakravarthi’s Survey of the Exceptional Individual course are gaining knowledge and experience applicable to their future classrooms through a partnership with a special group of students at Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210. For many of the teaching candidates, this collaboration is their first opportunity to work with individuals with special needs.

The class began in spring of 2015 and runs every semester, with approximately 150 teacher candidates having participated so far. The periodic lunch gatherings, held at USF, allows teacher candidates the chance to gain perspective regarding the range of disabilities they might encounter when working in an inclusive classroom setting or as a special education teacher. Many candidates are pleased to find out just how much they have in common with students—from favorite sports teams and foods to future goals. 

The partnership also gives Lincoln-Way students the opportunity to work on important skills outside their more familiar and comfortable school environment. With each meeting, the students work at forming relationships with peers, socialization, ordering from a menu, eating at a restaurant, budgeting, and paying for purchases.

After the group meets for lunch, each teacher candidate is asked to consider what accommodations or adaptations may be required to assist the special needs of the student or students in the classroom and to reflect upon any change of perception he/she has undergone about individuals with special needs.

This collaboration is much more than just lunch. It is a rich learning experience for all participants and serves to further USF’s commitment to building an inclusive community through acceptance, flexible thinking, respecting differences, and finding common ground.

Dr. Chakravarthi finds it to be one of her favorite experiences. Why?

“Many reasons. Primarily, almost all my teacher candidates feel like it is meaningful and they really enjoyed getting a perspective of a student with disability. I feel it is a win-win situation where my candidates get experience without leaving campus, and their students get to meet peers of their age and socialize, without any added pressure of ‘learning formally’ – since it is not a classroom-based experience but one focusing on communication and social interaction. I love watching my candidates grow comfortable in talking to students with disabilities and demonstrate a newfound way to respect them and note what they are capable of doing, instead of their ‘need’ areas which are apparent.”

According to Chakravarthi, candidates indicate that they have a renewed perspective on the abilities of students with exceptional needs.

“They learn that there are several nuances to simple acts like buying lunch, serving yourself, making good food choices and conversation skills as they note the varied skills involved in each act. It is a great opportunity for them to observe the students partaking in a ‘life skill’ experience while getting to teach them how to do it,” she said.

Chakravarthi and Dr. Lisa White McNulty recently co-authored a research paper about this experience which will soon be published in the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. The study indicated that teacher candidates showed ability to note specific strength and need areas of students that would be useful to plan instruction. There were also indicators of attitudinal shift about their perceptions on individuals with disabilities. Candidates also reveal that this experience is one of their favorite ones, and they enjoy their interactions with students with disabilities.