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Curriculum Development for Christian Ministry
Contributor: Jones
Publisher: PALNI
This text will prepare students to develop curriculum for their ministry or Christian organizations. It will encompass both theory and practice, helping students understand the educational and organizational need for curricular planning, the biblical and theological foundations, and insight and skill in implementing a comprehensive curriculum plan. The entire process of development will be presented, from vision to evaluation. Each section will include questions or mini-assignments to help students process the content in ways that enhance learning.
Leveraging Data Visualization to Communicate Effectively
Contributors: Mitchell and Deckard
Publisher: PALNI
This textbook will introduce students to the principles of effective data visualization and how to use visualization techniques to effectively communicate information and insights. Additionally, this textbook shares presentation strategies to address communication gaps that could arise if the visualized data does not have the proper context and labeling. Students will learn how to select appropriate chart types and design effective visualizations that clearly convey data patterns and trends, to support data-driven decisions. The textbook will also cover best practices for labeling, scaling, and annotating visualizations, as well as techniques for avoiding common pitfalls and biases in data visualization. Through hands-on exercises and projects, students will have the opportunity to practice creating a variety of visualizations using tools such as Excel, Power Business Intelligence (BI) and several problem-solving tools like Ishikawa, SWOT, PEST/LE, decision tree and more. Students will be able to process, analyze and visualize data to evaluate patterns and trends, and learn ways to communicate more effectively regardless of the setting or the type of audience.
Comparative Vertebrate and Human Anatomy: Ecology, Evolution, and Function
Contributors: Young, Whitenack, Ryerson, and Cheu
Publisher: PALNI
This book provides an ecology- and function-oriented approach to understanding the evolution of vertebrate structure. The text has a modular format, such that each module can be used as a stand-alone instructional tool, or grouped together as a comprehensive textbook, making the text versatile for use in courses with diverse structures. The text also includes human-specific modules for each anatomical system, as many small, liberal arts colleges teach comparative and human anatomy in a single course. Detailed, human-specific modules may be added or removed, as needed for individual courses, depending on the scope and learning objectives of the class.
Cultures and Civilizations of the Hispanic Countries
Contributor: Pacheco Gonzalez
Publisher: PALNI
Throughout the years, the academic curriculum addressing the teaching the cultural part of the Spanish-speaking countries has lacked a diversity of topics and voices in the content. To improve that gap, the work proposed in this book project represents an effort to contributing to representation and equity in the academic curriculum. The textbook covers all the thematical content, which are studied in academic programs, but it also presents the influential status of Spanish as an international language with all of its diversity of peoples, beliefs, and ways of life. Overall, current textbooks favor the representation of the cultures of developed Spanish-speaking countries, while the cultures of Africa and under-developed Latino-American countries are often under-represented. This textbook seeks to redress the imbalance in cultural content and offer a view that is more humane, personal, and proud of its origins.
The Exciting Dynamics of State and Local Government
Contributors: Merrifield-Wilson, Shufeldt, Wrzenski, Bennion, Strachan, Hanka, and Wolf
Publisher: PALNI
This book provides readers with both a large-scale overview of state government (including its responsibilities and rights established through federalism, political institutions such as the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and political behavior such as voting, interest groups, and the media) in addition to guiding individual examinations of states through case studies incorporated in each chapter. Co-authored by Laura Merrifield Wilson and Gregory Shufeldt, the text gives readers a greater understanding of the role and responsibilities of state and local government. Utilizing state comparisons and highlights, in content included in both the chapters and the accompanying case studies, readers delve into the intricate world of comparative government while analyzing the differences and similarities, as well as the reasons for them, between and among states.
Concepts of Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research Methods
Contributors: Webb, Mentag, and Pajakowski
Publisher: PALNI
This book provides a theoretical and practical foundation for nursing research and building an evidence based nursing practice. Concepts, principles, and research techniques used for the process of conducting research are explored, underscoring critical appraisal and translation of evidence from qualitative and quantitative research traditions to nursing practice. Emphasis is on the examination of the essential elements of evidence-based practice, including the formulation of answerable questions to address practice change, quality improvement, and safety in a variety of settings.
Public Speaking and Democratic Participation: Speech, Deliberation, and Analysis in the Civic Realm, 2nd ed.
Contributors: Abbott, McDorman, and Timmerman
Publisher: PALNI
The second edition of Public Speaking and Democratic Participation: Speech, Deliberation, and Analysis in the Civic Realm equips students to effectively participate in and transform their communities through speech. Drawing on the ancient study of rhetoric, the textbook teaches students informative and persuasive speaking skills to develop and empower their public voice. Unique to this textbook, content is also provided on the democratic practices of deliberative discussion facilitation and rhetorical analysis. Together, these abilities help students recognize divisive civic discourse, counter social injustice, and nurture a healthier and more inclusive society.
Social Action Writing: Public Narratives and Methods of Community
Contributors: Latta, Chan-Brose, and Ryan
Publisher: PALNI
Social Action Writing: Public Narratives and Methods of Community explores the ways writing and other literacies can catalyze social change and foster community development. This text situates writing instruction within the disciplinary perspective of community literacy (Campano, Ghiso, & Welch, 2016). It showcases methods of combining literacy-based practices with asset-based community development approaches to strengthen writing abilities and generate organic community empowerment capacity. Through the combination of theory and practice, Social Action Writing: Public Literacies and Methods of Community Empowerment addresses a current need for a comprehensive resource guide within the growing discipline of community literacy. Social Action Writing approaches writing as a social action and positions writing instruction through community-engaged and experiential pedagogies. Additionally, the work explains and demonstrates the connections between writing, research, and community empowerment and development methods. This text provides a “toolkit” to use literacy-based methods of collaborative and humanizing inquiry so that communities may foster progress and address social concerns through asset-focused practices. Similar to the interdisciplinary nature of community literacy, this text draws from the disciplinary perspectives of writing studies (Deans, 2002; Parks, 2016), social sciences, asset-based community development (McKnight, 2013), and humanizing research methodologies (Paris & Winn, 2014). Social Action Writing connects writing and collaborative inquiry with real-world outcomes by balancing theory, research, and action-oriented applications. This text prepares students and practitioners to harness high-impact community engaged learning and literacy approaches to generate organic and equitable change.
Ultrasound Physics and its Application in Medicine
Contributors: Thapaliya and Sithole
Publisher: PALNI
Ultrasound has a wide range of medical applications. Some of these include obstetrics (monitoring the progress of pregnancy), oncology (monitoring the growth of tumors), cardiology (visualizing the heart function and physiology), biopsy (guiding needles in various procedures), and physiotherapy. For example, today, an estimated 60-70% of pregnant women in the United States undergo ultrasound examination during pregnancy. An estimated 250 million fetal ultrasound examinations are performed every year in the USA. In the last few decades, ultrasound technology has expanded to medical imaging in various other specialties: Anesthesiology, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, General Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN), Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Physiatry, Sports Medicine, and Surgery. The increasing demand in the use of ultrasound technology in various biomedical fields points to a future in which medical professionals will be required to possess a general knowledge of ultrasound technology. While currently most medical professionals rely on technicians to perform the imaging studies, there can be a high degree of operator dependent results. Therefore, a solid foundation of the technological properties of ultrasound would give health care providers a competitive advantage in the future. This is one of the first goals of this textbook. This textbook will also cover general aspects of diagnostic ultrasound providing an excellent reference for both beginners and professionals. In addition, this textbook will have end-of-the-chapter experiments that will help educators conduct labs for students and any other learners to enhance their learning and solidify the practical skills.
Writing and Digital Media
Contributor: Miller
Publisher: PALNI
Increasingly, writing is published on digital platforms like social media, websites, and blogs, and this online writing performs a variety of personal, professional, academic, and civic functions. The textbook will discuss these functions from a critical and rhetorical perspective and provide practical skills and strategies that students can put into practice in their own digital writing.