Dr. Rebecca Panagos
College of Education and Human Services

This project partners Lindenwood University and Missouri First Steps Regions 1 & 2 in placing the first DIY empowerment tool in the hands of families of young children with autism and developmental disabilities. Missouri First Steps provides early intervention services to families of young children with autism and developmental disabilities. Early Intervention service providers invite LU faculty and student research assistants on their virtual home visits to field-test the Family Planner Apps with their families. Engineered, tested, and supported by LU computer science class teams and senior student employment, the Family Planner mobile apps evolved from a paper tool that was field tested in a three-year Pilot Study.  For the first time, the PRIDE Fund Grant engages marketing students in a class project this Spring semester to move the Family Planner from ideation to a marketing plan. Further research and application of the Family Planner Mobile Apps in K-12 education, behavioral therapies, and healthcare fields, such as My Chart integration, could lend the potential for its use in new fields. 

Ultimately, the goal is to place the first DIY Family Planner Tool and Mobile Apps freely in the hands of families and individuals impacted by autism.

Dr. Jeffrey Smith
College of Arts and Humanities

The PRIDE Fund is supporting this pilot project using student research to develop teaching materials for middle and high school teachers. Students enrolled in HIST11900: America Through Death and Mourning collect data on burials and commemorative markings at Oak Grove Cemetery in St. Charles. Data they collect from hundreds of burials (mostly between the mid-nineteenth century and the 1920s) will be the foundation for GIS maps shared with both students and Oak Grove Cemetery. Data will also be used as a case study for data analytics classes and learning laboratories at LU. In addition, a team of regional teachers will use these materials and data to develop curriculum materials and lesson plans for social studies and English-language arts classes. This project will provide a model for using student research in other classes, initially in the Humanities, to develop teaching materials that connect university research, student work, and teachers and their students in our communities.

Community partners for this project include the MO Department for Elementary and Secondary Education, Cape Girardeau Public Schools, St. Charles County Historical Society, the City of St. Charles GIS Coordinator, and the City of St. Charles Superintendent of Parks.

“Teaching Buried History” connects the university, both students and faculty, with regional educators, scholars, and community leaders to contribute to both the quality of teaching and understanding of the American experience.

Dr. Agata Freedle
College of Education and Human Services

This project will focus on exploring the relationship between two mental health outcomes that can take place following a traumatic event: posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Recent research suggests that these two outcomes may not be on opposite ends of a spectrum as previously believed but rather may co-occur. More specifically, this longitudinal study will investigate the factors associated with the development of PTSD and/or PTG as well as the predictive trajectory of these two possible outcomes following a pregnancy loss, a devastating and traumatic event. The data collection begins in February and three LU graduate students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program (Sarka Beckett, Maria Miller, and Tabitha Keys), and a Lindenwood staff member are working hard on ensuring a smooth implementation of the project and will continue to work on data analysis and distribution once available.

This project aims to increase clinicians’ awareness of what type of factors contribute to women’s positive and negative post-loss adjustment and its findings may contribute to the development of more targeted interventions.

Dr. Julie Turner
Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship

The Social Enterprise Advisory (SEA) project will engage a combination of the expansion of existing coursework in social entrepreneurship, immersion in field placements, and networking among relevant stakeholders. The SEA will support the first-time exploration of social innovation ideas, equip students with the tools and frameworks they need to make a successful transition into mission-driven work, develop leadership potential among students to maximize their personal impact and the social impact of their organizations, and empower aspiring LU social entrepreneurs through the entrepreneurial journey. 

SEA's primary audience includes undergraduate and graduate students of all degree types, but who are interested in social entrepreneurship and are enrolled in, or who plan to be enrolled in, Nonprofit Administration (NPA) courses. The program draws from existing NPA courses, augmented with courses in Entrepreneurship. Partners for this project include ITEN, Plaster College of Business & Entrepreneurship, Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship Network Foundation (GSCEN), and a minimum of four nonprofit organizations and/or businesses with intentional social missions who serve as internship site hosts. 

The overarching purpose of The Social Enterprise Advisory (SEA) is to accelerate Social Entrepreneurship (SE) as a High Impact Practice at Lindenwood University and for diverse learners through life changing learning experiences via innovative programs and learning technologies.

Dr. James Hutson
College of Arts and Humanities

The Immersive Realities Integration and Adoption Project seeks to provide faculty at Lindenwood University access to the latest virtual reality technology to integrate into their curriculum across the University. In today’s higher education landscape, learning institutions are increasingly feeling the pressure to infuse their degree tracks with more practical experiences for students, leading more directly to meaningful careers. The project begins with a full integration of virtual reality technology into all Art History courses and select Art and Design courses during Spring, 2021, with an aim to expand to other programs across the campus during Fall, 2021. As part of the project, all students will be exposed to these new experiences to have a more immersive understanding of their subjects and travel and see things that are currently inaccessible. Students in all majors within Art History and Visual Culture, as well as select Art and Design students, are part of the initial study in Spring, 2021. Faculty across campus known as VR Champions will also be surveyed in order to learn how best to use this new technology to benefit our students to ensure they have real experience and real success. Our community will also now have access to events in the Scheidegger Center for the Arts as we begin capturing them for virtual reality and making them available through this new technology.

The project will have a lasting effect on the experience of students at Lindenwood University across all schools and degrees and the surrounding community in that a more vivid experience for students and a better understanding of their fields is possible in any modality from face-to-face, hybrid, or online. 

Dr. Catherine Shoff and Dr. Amanda Harrod
College of Science, Technology, and Health

The birth of a child is a critical period in a woman’s life. The health and well-being of a mother during pregnancy and postpartum periods has long-lasting implications for family health. The Biopsychosocial (BPS) Framework suggests that biomedical, social, and psychological factors shape a women’s health during this time. This research explores how the psychological and social factors surrounding birth are impacted by COVID-19. Open-ended interviews with women who delivered at Mercy hospital in St. Louis, MO during the COVID-19 pandemic will be conducted. Women who delivered with certified midwives through the Midwifery Birthing Center and those that delivered with OB/GYNs in the Mercy Birthplace (the traditional labor and delivery unit) will be compared to understand how caregiver support buffers psychosocial stressors.

This pilot research is an exploratory project to understand psychosocial factors that impact birth and postpartum experiences of women during COVID-19. This research will provide important insights to inform and improve the quality of care for all women during pandemics. It can also inform future policies, practices and support structures for women during pregnancy and postpartum experiences.

Dr. Grant Black
Plaster College of Business & Entrepreneurship

With support of the PRIDE Fund, the Economic Education Center at Lindenwood University is launching Get Money Smart @ Lindenwood in Spring, 2021.  The program has three primary goals: increase student knowledge of economic and financial concepts and practices, improve students’ attitudes related to personal decision-making and financial behaviors, and influence students to adopt beneficial financial practices.  Get Money Smart @ Lindenwood will offer engaging and informative Real Experiences for students through a comprehensive learning program that empowers them to achieve Real Success financially. A team of student volunteers will be trained to assist with the sidewalk surveys, marketing, and seminars. Trained students will serve as leaders in seminars to provide effective peer learning. After the initial launch of the program in spring 2021, faculty and student leaders will engage in efforts to recruit students from each academic unit to serve in future rounds of the program. Partnerships will also be explored with external organizations, including local financial institutions and non-profit organizations interested in financial education, to promote further opportunities for student learning and to secure financial support for the future sustainability of the program. 

The overarching purpose of Get Money Smart @ Lindenwood is to increase financial literacy and sound financial practices among Lindenwood students.