Machine learning (ML) techniques have been successfully applied to a wide array of applications. This dissertation aims to take application data handling into account when developing ML-based solutions for real-world problems through a holistic framework. To demonstrate the generality of our framework, we consider two real-world applications: spam…

Challenges in higher education continue to arise, providing administrators with insights into how prepared--or unprepared--their institutions may be for future crises. The purpose of the study is to examine how mid-level leadership, staff, and students perceived the disaster response to Hurricane Ida during the 2021-2022 academic year. Using the…

Hurricanes disrupt teachers' lives, causing teacher attrition, burnout, and emotional exhaustion to heighten post-disaster. Hurricanes are realistic factors associated with teachers leaving the educational profession, and concern for teachers' well-being continues to increase after a disaster. As teacher retention continues to decline among school…

The realities of the community colleges along any coastal region involve the constant threat of a hurricane crisis. One of these realities is that colleges near the coast in North Carolina will face another hurricane; it's just a matter of when and how severely. In turn, this means that community colleges need to be prepared and especially for the…

The purpose of this dissertation in practice was to explore the experiences of Gulf Coast State College faculty in the wake of Hurricane Michael, in an effort to better understand how both the storm and the institution's response shaped instruction and student success. The intent of this study was to determine if the policies and practices…

This study examined the rationale Indiana public school superintendents have used in making the decision to implement an e-learning day program for their districts to make up for lost instructional time when school is cancelled due to inclement weather. The conceptual framework for this study was Karl Weick's Sensemaking In Organizations. The…

This study aims to discover the existing experiences that lead to local rural knowledge (LRK) of specific rural Northeast Nebraska communities. This information will assist in understanding the impact that LRK has on young children's science knowledge in rural communities. By engaging in hands-on experiences and interactions, science learning…

The purpose of this historical case study is to examine the response of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The AJCU is a voluntary association of 28 Jesuit higher education institutions rooted in the Jesuit charism that centers on God's desire for a direct relationship with creation,…

Objective. The objective of this work was to apply the capabilities of augmented reality (AR) to improve how general aviation student pilots learn about weather and learn to make weather-related decisions. Background. A pilot's level of weather experience is a strong indicator of their ability to make safe weather-related decisions. However, the…

This exploratory, mixed-methods study aspired to learn more about teachers' experiences, their perceptions of self-efficacy (SE), their posttraumatic growth (PTG) outcomes, and their sensemaking surrounding these interrelated factors within a post-natural disaster context (Hurricane Michael). Through this inquiry, I primarily hoped to understand…

Hurricanes pose significant risk to life and property to communities adjacent to the tropical cyclone basins of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In the United States, there are significant public misconceptions about hurricane hazards such as wind and storm surge, despite timely and accurate forecasts and warnings. However, appropriate…

The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to look at the patterns and trends of student enrollment, course hour load, and academic outcomes and explore student success interactions after the environmental shock of a natural disaster. Forming the setting for this study was a regional, commuter, university campus and its largely…

Non-traditional instruction days in Kentucky, as well as other states, are becoming increasingly popular as weather- and illness-related school closings compromise time in the classroom. This exploratory research study recounted the beginning of the use of non-traditional instruction days in the state of Kentucky as well as the current status…

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are software-based platforms that provide the framework and tools needed to create online learning and/or training. Integration of a Learning Management System (LMS) in public education "opens new possibilities for online interaction among teachers, students, and parents" (Blau & Hameiri, 2010, p.…

This study investigated the relationship between organizational processes that have been identified as promoting resiliency and their impact on service reliability within the scope of critical infrastructure providers. The importance of critical infrastructure to the nation is evident from the body of research and is supported by instances where…