Widener University Research Articles

The intermediate steps to widening university access: recognising and responding to the post-16 challenges encountered by those from under-represented backgrounds

ABSTRACT The institutional move associated with embarking upon post-16 study is part of the learner journey taken by many young people in England, including those from widening participation (WP) backgrounds. However, it can present a challenge, although one that has received comparatively little attention from researchers, practitioners and policy makers. To understand the nature of the challenge, this article draws on the experiences of two groups of WP students: those yet to experience this move and their older counterparts who have made the transition. It is also from the same two groups that suggestions are made for how the move from school to college can be supported. The English regulator for higher education, the Office for Students, has asked universities to work more closely with schools in widening access. The evidence presented here highlights the importance of universities, and those overseeing outreach, developing strong working relations with colleges as well.

H - 59 The Utility of Neuropsychology in the U.S. Naturalization Process: an Unexplored Opportunity in Multicultural Practice, Training, and Advocacy.

This project reviewed literature related to evaluating U.S. citizenship applicants seeking exemption from the naturalization exams due to cognitive and/or psychological impairment. U.S. Naturalization rates are rising, and neuropsychologists are especially qualified to conduct evaluations to determine eligibility for test waiver. Exploring this topic may contribute to improvements in service provision and advocacy for citizenship applicants, a historically underserved group. Data extraction occurred in April of 2023. Sources derived from The Clinical Neuropsychologist, PsycNet, Google Scholar, and Widener University's library database. Search phrases combined "neuropsychology" with (1) "U.S. citizenship tests," (2) "U.S. citizenship exemption," and (3) "Form N-648." Result pages one through five were examined, and any source referencing "neuropsychology" and "citizenship," "exemption," "Form N-648," "U.S. citizens," "U.S. citizenship," and/or "waiver" was selected. Ten scholarly articles, two book chapters, two presentations, and one poster abstract fit the above criteria for review. Information was limited to brief statements about naturalization and acknowledgment that test exemption exists, and case illustrations where exemption was considered. However, none of the results provided specific strategies to help guide neuropsychologists who are less familiar with this process, but still called upon to evaluate and determine eligibility for test waiver. There is a marked absence of neuropsychology literature regarding assessment for exemption from the U.S. citizenship exams. Given the socioeconomic benefits afforded with naturalization, this absence seems to represent a gap in the field. Future research and collaboration with allied networks may pose a novel way to broaden neuropsychology's relevance and optimize services for citizenship applicants.

Hellfall

Hellfall Theodor Däubler (bio) and Sean Zhuraw (bio) I found one of you whose oeuvreLavishes him already in soul in CocytusAnd in body on the surface seems preserved. —Dante, Inferno: XXXIII, 155–157 Around me, ravenously, the recoiling Nothing grimaces.The Sierras of Error fork into Agonies.Into my Heart inks a deadlier Indelibility:I await the Hellcourt's SentencesWhere silkstrung Anachrobatic Carapaces rib the Internees:I have a Stake, a Claim, but an Imp for Defenses!Hunger, the Unicorn with swaggings of Teats,That ten gash-gnashing Thirsthounds skin,Begins on me, sallowstaining, through to the intestine asunder it flays:And Loathing consumes me in Snailtendons.Erratic as a Steer who makes nightmarish Splices,It squirms behind me to whittle itself away in a Bound;Now Horns precipitate me to motley Displaces.But I wince again from tined Pangs [End Page 122] And grip my flickering self in the flitting Flametongues.Exquisite Disquietude wicks me like fuming under Tassels:Like Ears the flaring Goldtrim surveilsSuspiring Tendrils, gripping to dazzle,Who, increasingly, say: "Awaken, Shameful Mantles!You have the most wholesome Rawhide to ravel,Baste in your fringeflagrant Flareapparel!"The Veinclotter demands it to whimper,Which knells out as if from earthbound Chambers:"The Mouthfeelings, Indentures, a Lethe-Trespassing,Disguised, gelatinizes necrotic Susceptibilities.Pathetic Pleas curdle, imbruingThe forceful Forceps with flaming Tributaries."A chirring Vortex revolves my Thinking.I'm swept away in whimpering Fits;The flickers and fevers. A Silverlight defuses:"I was a Miss destined for your Senses.I cried out to the Man, make me into Missis, [End Page 123] I plead for Rest in the inflamed Flesh,But you didn't take me, and now inside I whirl like a Disk."The Darkness splinters its innermost Twinkle:Instantly I am softened by the Dead Air of my own Agnate.In the darkening Vanity, whispering Extracts fall involuble,For now, the lucid incidence can itself divaricate!That flickering in the Lobes, stoking in the Fingers:"Soundless and blessed, now there will be a Human fecundate.No Knowledge can dampen its Vomer,For he may reach all of Might's cold Etiquette."At that I laugh aloud: an anointed Earthling!I toast your louche, lurid Becoming.How delicately itself a germinating Being sprawls.The Recess recoils at itself. Beclouds itself in the Dark.There is Peace! Bound for the little Youngling?The Genesis of Goods, Impetus, and a Mouth for SparksIs gradually contoured by Mother's Cajoles:She can encage it with gilder Wanting. [End Page 124] She hears her Heart, its Hammering and Throbbing.Already the Lad's goldfrolic Weeks are nearing.Make your Mother happy, induce yourself, Page!She must love you now, exalt your Evolution.Accept the body from the woman, its Patronage.You shall give birth to the secluded Sun.You Peace more manifest, you friendlier Star.Lap yourself in gold, ward forward, clad your Core;Ring in the fever-pitched Sussing of the World,Ignite the Forge that secures the KnollAround which the Ringing of Psalms purl.Sustain yourself! Plunge your all into Nightfall.Be gruesome, peer through the Hellscree.To Outbreak, blister your Streak! Here, Hell, involute me. [End Page 125] Theodor Däubler theodor däubler (1876–1934) is the author of more than twenty books of poetry, prose, and art criticism, including the collections The Starchild and The Starlit Path, where "Hellfall" appears. His honors include serving as the chair of the German pen club and being awarded the Goethe Medal. Sean Zhuraw sean zhuraw's poetry and translations have appeared in Boston Review, Tin House, The Offing, Defunct, New Session, typo, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. He teaches English and Creative Writing at the Community College of Philadelphia and Widener University. He lives gayly in West Philly with his husband and two cats. @toystutter on Instagram. Copyright © 2023 Sean Zhuraw

Assessing the impact of regional transformative outreach activities aimed at widening university access, and participation among under-represented groups in schools

Transformative outreach activities, including study skills workshops, motivational speakers and campus visits, are common across the educational sector. However, little is known about their impact on non- traditional students' decisions regarding higher education. Designed to raise the higher education aspirations of young people in Years 9 to 13 (aged 13 – 18), the Uni Connect programme delivers outreach activities to young people in areas in England, UK, where higher education participation is much lower than expected based on attainment in national examinations taken at ages 15 and 16. This article presents the findings of a student activity survey conducted as part of the Lincolnshire Uni Connect regional evaluation. Surveys were sent to participating students between May and July 2020 to assess the impact of the outreach activities they had received during the school year. A total of 672 valid responses were received: 247 (37%) from Uni Connect students. Impact was measured against the NERUPI evaluation framework, which comprises five elements: knowing, choosing, becoming, practicing and understanding, and is designed to determine the success of widening participation initiatives. The data showed activities focusing on NERUPI outcomes 'know' and 'become' were the most effective. Findings from the study raise important questions about the choice and effectiveness of transformative activities aimed at underrepresented groups.

Exploring the role of community cultural wealth in university access for minority students

Ethnic minority students—often descendants of earlier waves of immigrants from neighbouring South and Southeast Asian countries—have been under-represented in enrolment in higher education in Hong Kong. In addressing low university/college-enrolment, traditionally under-represented students’ family and community are considered deficit and under-resourced, and their inherent values and strengths remain unrecognised and less-explored. This study employed the community cultural wealth framework to highlight the various forms of capital existing within the families and communities of 15 South/Southeast Asian university students that had allowed them to navigate university predisposition, search and choice processes. The findings of this study unveil the diversity and richness of capital within non-dominant communities that have limited access to capital, normalised within hegemonic and oppressive educational institutions and call for researchers and educators to legitimise and utilise the community resources for widening university attendance.

The impact of adolescent initiation rites in East and Southern Africa: Implications for policies and practices

ABSTRACT The present formative research study reviewed existing literature relating to adolescent rites of passage and initiation ceremonies in East and Southern Africa (ESA), with a focus on Eswatini, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia to assess the impacts of these rites on youth in these countries. Research was conducted entirely online using Google, Google Scholar and the Widener University (US) database. The research found different cultures maintain a range of customs and practices to prepare young people for their roles and responsibilities as adults, and that some initiation practices have negative impacts on the physical, emotional and psychological health and well-being of adolescents. The research supports the conclusion that it is important to have policies and programmes that are designed to protect the rights and welfare of young people in ESA, and that local leaders and stakeholders play invaluable roles in determining and maintaining any changes to existing practices.

Sexual Citizens: Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus. Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2020. 422 pp. $17.95 paperback

Law & Society ReviewVolume 55, Issue 2 p. 360-363 BOOK REVIEW Sexual Citizens: Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus. Hirsch, Jennifer S. and Khan, Shamus. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2020. 422 pp. $17.95 paperback Reviewed by Michal Buchhandler-Raphael, Corresponding Author mbuchhandler-raphael@widener.edu Widener Commonwealth Law School, Widener University, Harrisburg, PA, USASearch for more papers by this author Reviewed by Michal Buchhandler-Raphael, Corresponding Author mbuchhandler-raphael@widener.edu Widener Commonwealth Law School, Widener University, Harrisburg, PA, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 27 May 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12541Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume55, Issue2June 2021Pages 360-363 RelatedInformation

CFD Investigation of Trout-Like Configuration Holding Station near an Obstruction

This report presents the development of a fluid-structure interaction model using commercial Computational fluid dynamics software and in-house developed User Defined Function to simulate the motion of a trout Department of Mechanical Engineering, Widener University holding station in a moving water stream. The oscillation model used in this study is based on the observations of trout swimming in a respirometry tank in a laboratory experiment. The numerical simulations showed results that are consistent with laboratory observations of a trout holding station in the tank without obstruction and trout entrained to the side of the cylindrical obstruction. This paper will be helpful in the development of numerical models for the hydrodynamic analysis of bioinspired unmanned underwater vehicle systems.

Rethinking 'Political' Considerations in Investment

This is a transcript of my remarks as 2016 Visiting Scholar in Corporate and Business Law at Delaware Law Widener University, delivered to the members of the Delaware Judiciary and Bar at the Wilmington Club on September 12, 2016. I introduce the idea of multipreference shareholders whose interests may at times depart from maximizing returns, and I address the question more generally on taking so-called considerations into account when making investment decisions. I argue that political pressures are increasing in the investment world everywhere at the same time.

Dictionnaire Colette éd. par Guy Ducrey et Jacques Dupont

Reviewed by: Dictionnaire Colette éd. par Guy Ducrey et Jacques Dupont Stephanie Schechner Ducrey, Guy, et Jacques Dupont, éd. Dictionnaire Colette. Garnier, 2018. ISBN 978-2-4060-8019-0. Pp. 1121. An important addition to the field of Colette studies, this Dictionnaire is both expansive in its scope (clocking in at a robust 1121 double-column pages) and yet modest in its self-presentation. The editors make clear in their introduction that the work is neither exhaustive nor seeking to preclude future inquiry: "[N]ous laissons certaines questions ouvertes à la sagacité et aux investigations des chercheurs à venir" (11). Nonetheless, after eight years in the making, the book represents an enormous achievement, bringing together eighty international contributors from diverse backgrounds including important scholars (such as Diana Holmes, Michael Lucey, and Yannick Resch); the director of the Musée Colette, Samia Bordji; authors from the adjacent disciplines of art history, music history, theater and film studies, and book conservationism; collectors; and members of the Société des Amis de Colette. The collaboration of such a diverse group of writers reflects the cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary interests of the editors who were keen to mark "un panorama de savoirs critiques et scientifiques sur Colette, son œuvre et le contexte de sa création" (7) and to inaugurate "un renouvellement des études colettiennes" (7). The editors align their project with the efforts of scholars and editors over the past forty years that have led to the publication of the Pléiade edition of Colette's work as well as significant biographies of Colette. The editors also recognize the important contributions of British and American scholars who have studied Colette's writings in light of feminist and queer theory. The Dictionnaire Colette is a fitting tribute to an author whose life spanned more than eighty years and whose career was multi-layered: writer, actor, journalist, bon vivant. Colette represents the new freedoms demanded by women of the twentieth century, while resisting all efforts to categorize her. Wife, mother, heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, vegetarian, and animal-lover: Colette was all of these things and at the same time a slippery subject whose life and career merit close attention. The essays in this volume, many of which are extensive, situate Colette's work not only in its cultural and historical context, but also in terms of its adaptation by directors of stage and screen who have brought her work to different audiences. Especially worthy of note among the essays are entries on "Féminisme" by Marie-Françoise Berthu-Courtivron for its extensive treatment of Colette's complex and ambivalent stance toward women's rights, and "Végétarisme" by Méryl Pinque [End Page 222] for its critical analysis of Colette's intense relationship with animals. This rich volume is an essential purchase for university and research libraries. Stephanie Schechner Widener University (PA) Copyright © 2021 American Association of Teachers of French

Understanding outreach: the potential of qualitative longitudinal research to enrich the evidence base

Recent calls from the Office for Students, the regulatory body for the English higher education sector, have challenged those engaged in widening university access to ‘strengthen’ the outreach evidence base. Whilst focus groups have proved capable of revealing much about the learner experience and the effectiveness of outreach interventions, the established way in which they have been applied – in capturing views and perceptions at one particular point in time – limits what can be discovered. Adopting a longitudinal approach in the application of this research instrument – by returning to the same group of participants at regular intervals over a number of months – affords a chance to monitor changes in ideas and intentions, and distinguish the important from the fleeting. As the findings from three recent studies that have deployed this approach show, it can also generate richer, more detailed insights than would otherwise be possible.

A-185 Are Undergraduate Students Able to Effectively Utilize Learning Strategies?

Abstract Objective Professors generally use less structured and organized methods of teaching than high school teachers, even though undergraduate brains are still developing, making the transition more difficult. The purpose of this study was to see whether undergraduate students could use explicitly taught methods of organization to remember more words on free recall trials of the CVLT-II. Method Inclusion criteria: undergraduate students enrolled at Widener University, between the ages of 18–24. Participants included 34 undergraduate students recruited via mass email. The groups had 18 women and 16 men aged 18–22 (M = 20.32, SD = 1.15). They were randomized evenly in two groups: a control group (standardized instructions) and an experimental group (explicit semantic clustering instruction). Variables used were semantic clustering, immediate and delayed free recall. Results There were strong positive correlations between semantic clustering and number of words recalled at the immediate (r = .76, p < .0005) and delayed free recall trials (r = .7, p < .0005) for both groups. The experimental group (M = 3.94, SD = 3.21) used more semantic clustering than the control group (M = 2.13, SD = 2.35); t(32) = −1.87, p = .04 (one-tailed) (Cohen’s d = .64). However, the experimental group did not freely recall significantly more words than the control group at either of the free recalls (immediate = t(32) = −.636, p = .26; delay = t(32) = −1.086, p = .14). Conclusion This may indicate that although undergraduate students can learn helpful strategies, they may not necessarily be able to implement taught strategies effectively.

Is ‘first in family’ a good indicator for widening university participation?

Universities use ‘first in family’ or ‘first generation’ as an indicator to increase the diversity of their student intake, but little is known about whether it is a good indicator of disadvantage. We use nationally representative, longitudinal survey data linked to administrative data from England to provide the first comprehensive analysis of this measure. We employ parametric probability (logit) and non-parametric classification (random forest) models to look at its relative predictive power of university participation and graduation. We find that being first in family is an important barrier to university participation and graduation, over and above other sources of disadvantage. This association seems to operate through the channel of early educational attainment. Our findings indicate that the first in family indicator could be key in efforts to widen participation at universities.

Student Advocacy in Turbulent Times: Psychology Students for Social Responsibility at Widener University

Student Advocacy in Turbulent Times: Psychology Students for Social Responsibility at Widener University

Paris and the Marginalized Author: Treachery, Alienation, Queerness, and Exile ed. by Valérie K. Orlando and Pamela A. Pears

Reviewed by: Paris and the Marginalized Author: Treachery, Alienation, Queerness, and Exile ed. by Valérie K. Orlando and Pamela A. Pears Stephanie Schechner Orlando, Valérie K., and Pamela A. Pears, eds. Paris and the Marginalized Author: Treachery, Alienation, Queerness, and Exile. Lexington, 2019. ISBN 978-1-4985-6703-9. Pp. xix + 214. The chronological and international scope of this excellent book of essays is ambitious, gathering analyses of works by authors from across most of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and the globe. By choosing to center the volume on Paris, the editors offer what turns out to be an illusory focus in that the city functions only as a transitory point of passage, not a fixed place. For the authors discussed here, Paris is just as often a place to lose oneself as to find oneself. Many scholars have taken up the theme of exile in recent years, but this set of essays takes the reader a step further with the suggestion, made by several authors including Bernardo Toro in the interview that concludes this volume, that exile is the foundational state of all writing. Orlando and Pears have selected essays that complicate the notion of exile by expanding it to include self-exile, linguistic exile, and sexual exile among others. By not limiting exile to issues of nationality, race, or ethnicity, the editors consciously draw the reader's attention to questions of intersectionality. The editors broach this concern in the introduction, but the full impact of their choices only becomes clear as one reads the entire book, which contains essays on a diverse set of authors ranging from the more familiar like Richard Wright and James Baldwin, to lesser-known such as Elena Garro (Mexico) and Évelyne Trouillot (Haiti). One of the best essays is Alison Rice's complex study of the correspondence between Nancy Huston and Leïla Sebbar, two writers who resist interpretation and yet who yield fascinating insights on the question of what it means to be an outsider. Leslie Barnes's insightful analysis of Linda Lê's fiction is complemented by personal reflections on her own wanderings in Paris. Karl Ashoka Britto makes a compelling case for the inclusion of Vietnamese American authors Monique Truong and Aimee Phan, in his persuasive essay on Vietnamese diasporic fiction. Britto's essay draws connections between the French colonial and American postcolonial presence in Asia and subverts the reader's expectations of Vietnamese diasporic fiction. The volume concludes with two essays that allow the voices of writers to speak more directly either through summarized or transcribed interviews. The [End Page 257] reflections of these two authors, Louis-Philippe Dalembert (Haiti), and Bernardo Toro (Chile), close the book in a manner that highlights its far-reaching conclusions about not only the literature of exile but also literature as exile. Stephanie Schechner Widener University (PA) Copyright © 2020 American Association of Teachers of French

Technologically enhanced pedagogies in Professional Writing

Development of online or hybrid options for academic content often emphasizes product over process. Institutions may decide to join the latest movement without carefully considering whether particular content lends itself to such technologies. The question to be asked first is whether students in a specific discipline — business, science, or another — would benefit from technological pedagogies instead of, or in tandem with, traditional offerings. Even though the “classroom” now can be virtually recreated with hyperlinked readings, synchronous chats, and real-time interactions, the instructor must vouchsafe an enriching learning environment. One endeavor across many — if not all — academic disciplines is written communication, through which students explore course content, critically assess meaning, and construct cogent arguments. Applied writing, often termed Professional Writing, weaves through the curricula at Widener University; open-access modules for at-risk students seeking a college education are also being developed with a local not-for-profit agency. Before shifting courses or modules to online and/or hybrid formats directly, Professional Writing faculty are designing, implementing, and assessing various tools: blended course design, online writing resources, and open-access outreach. The core pedagogical issue remains the astute application of technological tools to achieve learning outcomes. This presentation highlights progress by the Professional Writing faculty at Widener University for enhancing pedagogies with technology while navigating climate and culture.

Discovery of Bioactive Small Molecule Inhibitors of Human PD1-PDL1 Interaction

Abstract Background The antibody-based cancer immunotherapies targeting the Programmed cell Death1-Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 (PD1-PDL1) interaction have shown unprecedented clinical success again several types of cancer. Our present study aims to discover small molecule PD1-PDL1 inhibitors that may offer several advantages as compared to antibodies, such as higher oral bioavailability, lower cost, better tumor infiltration, and relatively shorter half-life that is especially helpful in controlling any potential adverse immune reactions. Methods We identified several small molecule inhibitors based on the available crystal structures of human PD1-PDL1 complex as well as apo forms of PD1 and PDL1. Specifically, we first carried out long molecular dynamics simulations to identify “druggable” binding pockets on the binding interfaces of PD1 and PDL1 proteins, followed by molecular docking and consensus-scoring of approved and experimental drugs into those pockets. The top virtually selected compounds were then tested in AlphaLISA and ELISA assays measuring inhibition of the PD1-PDL1 interaction, followed by functional cell-based assays. Results Through integrated virtual and experimental screening protocols, we have identified several potent PD1-PDL1 inhibitors with remarkable activities in both the cell-free and cell-based assays. Notably, one of our top active molecules showed activity as comparable to that of the anti-PD1 antibody used as the positive control in these studies. This is remarkable considering the newly-discovered molecules have relatively low molecular weight and still are capable of inhibiting PD1-PDL1 protein-protein interaction with large binding interface of ∼1,970 A2. Our results provide support for future investigation of these molecules in vivo. Conclusion In summary, we have been successful in identifying novel, non-peptide small molecule inhibitors of PD1-PDL1 interaction through rational design. Considering their remarkable activity and clinical status, they may present immediate clinical potential against cancers expressing PDL1. They may also prove to be ideal starting points for the design of more potent, selective drug-like inhibitors of PD1-PDL1 interaction. Legal entity responsible for the study Widener University, Chester, PA, USA. Funding W. W. Smith Charitable Trust. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Free access to the concert hall: widening university students’ participation in extracurricular activity?

AbstractThe role of extracurricular activity in higher education is receiving increasing international attention as a means for developing social and cultural resources for steering social and employment networks. The focus of this paper is on a post-1992 English university partnership with an orchestra, enabling students to attend free concerts. The initiative aspired to extend the student experience, break down barriers, and encourage students to try a new musical experience. This study explores students’ experiences and contrasts these with the aspirations of the vice chancellor. In view of studies establishing relationships between extracurricular activity and inequality of opportunity, this paper also investigates whether financial subsidies widen participation.

Robyn Begley, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Robyn Begley, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Using Existing Research Instruments: Copyright, Permission, and Fair Use

Using Existing Research Instruments: Copyright, Permission, and Fair Use