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  Higher-Order Clicker Questions Engage Students and Prepare Them for Higher-Order Thinking Activities

  Deborah K. Anderson, Michelle Schoenleber, and Stuart Korshavn

  Previous research has shown that the use of clickers in the classroom enhances student engagement. However, few studies have investigated how the type of clicker question may influence learning outcomes. To explore this, we compared the effects of lower-order cognitive skill (LOCS) and higher-order cognitive skill (HOCS) clicker questions on later exam performance in a biology course. During class time, students were presented with clicker questions directly related to unit content. Half of the content units were taught with LOCS, the other half with HOCS. To ensure that type of content did not influence results, the cognitive level of the clicker questions was counterbalanced across two semesters. The exams included a mix of LOCS and HOCS for each content unit. We also investigated the possible moderating effects of student perceptions on the relationship between type of clicker question and exam performance using student surveys. We found that using HOCS clicker questions significantly affects student learning. Practice with HOCS clicker questions improved performance on LOCS exam questions but not on HOCS exam questions. Students ranked lecture with clickers as a preferred and most helpful teaching methodology. Overall, these results suggest that practice with HOCS questions is engaging and gives students practice recalling content to “solve” a problem, thereby encoding low-level information and preparing them for higher-order thinking activities.

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  A low-cost confocal microscope for the undergraduate lab

  Erik Brekke, Will Bethard, and Antonio Reguilon

  We demonstrate a simple and cost-efficient scanning confocal microscope setup for use in advanced instructional physics laboratories. The setup is constructed from readily available commercial products, and the implementation of a 3D-printed flexure stage allows for further cost reduction and pedagogical opportunity. Experiments exploring the thickness of a microscope slide and the surface of solid objects with height variation are presented as foundational components of undergraduate laboratory projects, and demonstrate the capabilities of a confocal microscope. This system allows observation of key components of a confocal microscope, including depth perception and data acquisition via transverse scanning, making it an excellent pedagogical resource.

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  Helminthic parasites of invasive alien fish hosts in Marikina River system, Philippines: Revealing new parasite hosts and species records

  Anindo Choudhury, Dale Anthony Leones To, Geoffrey Miguel L. Gomez, Richard Thomas B. Pavia Jr., and Jonathan Carlo A. Briones

  The spread of invasive and endemic parasites in the Philippines, along with the co-introduction of invasive alien fish species (IAFS), could threaten the country’s local fauna, as well as pose socioeconomic and public health concerns. However, due to the scarcity of knowledge about fish parasites in the country, this incidence remains poorly understood. Thus, this study aims to explore the parasitic diversity of the common IAFS within the Marikina River system.

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  REVISION OF SANGUINICOLA PLEHN, 1905 WITH REDESCRIPTION OF SANGUINICOLA VOLGENSIS (RAŠÍN, 1929) MCINTOSH, 1934, DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES, PROPOSAL OF A NEW GENUS, AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS

  Anindo Choudhury, Micah B. Warren, Larisa Poddubnaya, Alexander E. Zhokhov, Florian B. Reyda, and Stephen A. Bullard

  Sanguinicola Plehn, 1905 comprises 26 species that collectively infect fishes from 8 orders (Cypriniformes, Characiformes, Siluriformes, Esociformes, Salmoniformes, Labriformes, Centrarchiformes, and Perciformes). Its revision is warranted because several species assigned to the genus could represent new genera, nucleotide sequences are wanting, many species have incomplete descriptions, and types for most species are missing or of poor quality. Herein, we emend Sanguinicola based on morphology and the first nucleotide-based phylogenetic analysis that includes multiple sequences from morphologically identified adult specimens. We describe Sanguinicola plehnae Warren and Bullard n. sp. from the heart of northern pike, Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758 from Russia; provide supplemental observations of Sanguinicola volgensis (Rašín, 1929) McIntosh, 1934 from the heart of sabrefish (type species), Pelecus cultratus (Linnaeus, 1758) Berg, 1949 from Russia; describe Sanguinicola cf. volgensis from the heart of ide, Leuciscus idus (Linnaeus, 1758) Berg, 1949 from Russia; and describe Pseudosanguinicola occidentalis (Van Cleave and Mueller, 1932) Warren and Bullard n. gen., n. comb. from the heart of walleye, Sander vitreus (Mitchill, 1818) Bailey, Latta, and Smith, 2004 from eastern North America. Sanguinicola plehnae differs from its congeners by having lateral tegumental spines that total 118–122, are small (3% of body width), and protrude 2–3 µm from the tegument (lacking associated conical protrusion) as well as by having a large testis (>40% of body length). Sanguinicola volgensis differs from its congeners by having posteriorly directed lateral tegumental spines encased in a tegumental conical protrusion as well as by having an ovoid egg. Specimens of S. cf. volgensis differ from those of S. volgensis by having a body that is 5–6× longer than wide (vs. 2–3× in S. volgensis) and <90 lateral tegumental spines>(vs. >95). Pseudosanguinicola Warren and Bullard n. gen. differs from Sanguinicola by having densely transverse rows of lateral tegumental spines (vs. a single column of large spines). The phylogenetic analysis utilizing the large subunit ribosomal DNA (28S) failed to reject monophyly of Sanguinicola.

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  Designing Stories to Inspire Preschoolers’ Creative, Collaborative Roleplay

  Kyle Diederich, Flannery Hope Currin, Luiza Superti Pantoja, Hannah Cargo, Noelle Franzone, Josephine Geiger-Lee, and Juan Pablo Hourcade

  Young children's interactions with media influence their social play, which impacts their development. Seven years ago, at the start of a project developing a system to support preschool children's creative, collaborative roleplay, we identified a need for children's media specifically intended to set up play. In this paper, we present best practices (e.g., designing a balanced cast of characters with complementary skills) and lessons learned (e.g., to proactively counter themes that may encourage stereotypical play) over the course of this project. We also describe our ongoing and planned future work which aims to provide additional scaffolding for children who need extra support to engage with their peers and to create abstractions based on what we have found works well so others can leverage that knowledge as they create their own content.

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  A simplified and rapid in situ hybridization protocol for planarians

  Andrew J. Gaetano and Ryan King

  Whole-mount in situ hybridization is a critical technique for analyzing gene expression in planarians. While robust in situ protocols have been developed, these protocols are laborious, making them challenging to incorporate in an academic setting, reducing throughput and increasing time to results. Here, the authors systematically tested modifications to all phases of the protocol with the goal of eliminating steps and reducing time without impacting quality. This modified protocol allows for whole-mount colorimetric in situ hybridization and multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization to be completed in two days with a significant reduction in steps and hands-on processing time.

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  Community involvement in addressing the antibiotic crisis

  David Hunnicutt, Angelo Kolokithas, Brian Merkel, Lucy Fenzl, and Matthew Peterson

  Increasing student interest and success in STEM education is a top priority for many postsecondary educational institutions. One well-documented approach to both priorities is to have students participate in a Course Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). Faculty from several technical colleges and universities in Wisconsin teamed up with the Tiny Earth organization to offer a CURE to address the search for new antibiotics. Students enrolled in undergraduate microbiology courses engaged in research and participated in community outreach. To involve the community, faculty from various institutions joined an NFL team, the Green Bay Packers, and created the Tiny Earth in Titletown symposium. Here, students presented their work via scientific posters, to community and industry members, and networked with other scientists from around the region. The Tiny Earth in Titletown symposium started in 2018, was held again in 2019, and returned in 2022 following a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Record attendance in 2022 suggests that community outreach and education may be helping restore trust in science that was lost during the pandemic.

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  “There’s theology and then there’s the people I love. . .”: Authority and Ambivalence in Seminarians’ Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Relationships, Marriage, and Ordination

  Laura Krull, Erin Johnston, and Anna Holleman

  Drawing from 102 in-depth interviews conducted with first-year Master of Divinity (M.Div.) students at a Mainline Protestant seminary, this paper examines how students describe and account for their positions on homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy. We found that students on “both sides”—i.e., those who lean affirming and those who lean non-affirming—invoked three primary authorities in their accounts: Biblical authority, Godly authority, and the authority of lived experience, as demonstrated in the lives of gay and lesbian people. We also found that nearly one-third of the students in our sample expressed uncertainty, ambivalence, and/or contradictions in their responses. Through a close analysis of these accounts, we show that ambivalence and uncertainty are rooted in attempts to navigate and “reconcile” the pulls of these different authorities and that attitudinal certainty is often accomplished by privileging one authority over others.

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  SECONDARY HOCHSCHILD COHOMOLOGY AND DERIVATIONS

  Jacob Laubacher, Kylie Bennett, and Elizabeth Heil

  In this paper, we introduce a generalization of derivations. Using these socalled secondary derivations, along with an analogue of Connes’ Long Exact Sequence, we are able to provide computations in low dimension for the secondary Hochschild and cyclic cohomologies associated to a commutative triple. We then establish a universal property, which paves the way to relating secondary K¨ahler differentials with the aforementioned secondary derivations.

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  From Subjects to Subversives: Chinese Migrants and the Evolution of the French Colonial Surveillance Regime in Sài Gòn-Chợ Lớn, 1874-1930

  Anh Le

  In 1874, the French colonial state introduced an extensive regime of ethnic surveillance in the port cities of Sài Gòn-Chợ Lớn. This pioneering system in Vietnam relied on an innovative anthropometric science to target Chinese migrants, whose mobile networks posed ongoing concerns for the imperial authority. This article explores the strategies employed by Chinese migrants to navigate the enforced ethnic classifications and regulations imposed by the colonial administration, exploiting the uncertain boundaries between subjects, foreigners, and citizens. It argues that Chinese subversions emerged through a dynamic interplay with the evolving French bureaucratic practices, shaped by the coexistence of two overlapping imperial systems: a decentralized Chinese empire and a French colonial state aiming to consolidate its rule in Cochinchina. The article reveals that French colonial surveillance was not a one-sided, rigid process of panoptic imperial dominance, but rather a complex landscape characterized by negotiated coexistence, mutual collaborations, and acts of resistance.

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  Mortal Remains as Biohazard: Chinese Repatriation, Plague Epidemiology, and Biopolitical Governance in Sài Gòn–Chợ Lớn, 1890–1898

  Anh Le

  This article examines French efforts to disrupt the transfer of 2000 Chinese remains from Sài Gòn-Chợ Lớn to Hong-Kong in 1892. French officials cited bio-hazardous threats as grounds for legal interdiction, infuriating Cantonese leaders who demanded the removal of bureaucratic obstacles to repatriations. Situating French epidemiology in a global bubonic outbreak, this article shows how colonial panic activated a racialized biopolitics that demonized Chinese “bodies” as plague-borne menaces and justified its drastic measures. As inter-imperial competitions for biomedical research intensified, transnational Chinese practices, perceived as undermining public health initiatives, became a flashpoint of conflicts over hygiene, mobility, and inter-ethnic interactions.

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  Measurement of the Nucleon Fn 2=Fp 2 Structure Function Ratio by the Jefferson Lab MARATHON Tritium/Helium-3 Deep Inelastic Scattering Experiment

  D. Abrams, H. Albataineh, B.S. Aljawrneh, S. Alsalmi, D. Androic, K. Aniol, W. Armstrong, J. Arrington, H. Atac, and Michael Olson

  The ratio of the nucleon F2 structure functions, Fn2/Fp2, is determined by the MARATHON experiment from measurements of deep inelastic scattering of electrons from 3H and 3He nuclei. The experiment was performed in the Hall A Facility of Jefferson Lab using two high-resolution spectrometers for electron detection, and a cryogenic target system which included a low-activity tritium cell. The data analysis used a novel technique exploiting the mirror symmetry of the two nuclei, which essentially eliminates many theoretical uncertainties in the extraction of the ratio. The results, which cover the Bjorken scaling variable range 0.19

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  On Prime Character Degree Graphs Occuring Within a Family of Graphs (II)

  Sara DeGroot, Jacob Laubacher, and Mark Medwind

  In this paper, we continue the classification work done in the first paper of the same name. With careful modifications of our previous approach, we are able to deduce (with two notable exceptions) which members of the previously introduced graph family manifest as the prime character degree graph of some solvable group.

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  A numerical framework for genetic hitchhiking in populations of variable size

  Eric Friedlander and Matthias Steinr¨ucken

  Natural selection on beneficial or deleterious alleles results in an increase or decrease, respectively, of its frequency within the population. Due to chromosomal linkage, the dynamics of the selected site affect the genetic variation at nearby neutral loci in a process commonly referred to as genetic hitchhiking. Changes in population size, however, can yield patterns in genomic data that mimic the effects of selection. Accurately modeling these dynamics is thus crucial to understanding how selection and past population size changes impact observed patterns of genetic variation. Here, we model the evolution of haplotype frequencies with the Wright-Fisher diffusion to study the impact of selection on linked neutral variation. Explicit solutions are not known for the dynamics of this diffusion when selection and recombination act simultaneously. Thus, we present a method for numerically evaluating the Wright-Fisher diffusion dynamics of two linked loci separated by a certain recombination distance when selection is acting. We can account for arbitrary population size histories explicitly using this approach. A key step in the method is to express the moments of the associated transition density, or sampling probabilities, as solutions to ordinary differential equations. Numerically solving these differential equations relies on a novel accurate and numerically efficient technique to estimate higher order moments from lower order moments. We demonstrate how this numerical framework can be used to quantify the reduction and recovery of genetic diversity around a selected locus over time and elucidate distortions in the site-frequency-spectra of neutral variation linked to loci under selection in various demographic settings. The method can be readily extended to more general modes of selection and applied in likelihood frameworks to detect loci under selection and infer the strength of the selective pressure.

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  Disruption of Zea mays isochorismate synthase1 decreases PHENYLALANINE AMMONIA LYASE activity and suppresses hypersensitive response-induced metabolism

  Rachel McCoy, Ryan Benke, Iskander Ibrahim, Jeffery Simpson, Fabiola Muro-Villanueva, Ross Zahn, Clint Chapple, Joshua Widhalm, Sujith Puthiyaveetil, Gurmukh Johal, and Brian Dilkes

  ISOCHORISMATE SYNTHASE (ICS) catalyzes the isomerization of chorismate to isochorismate, an essential precursor in the biosynthesis of the Photosystem I electron carrier phylloquinone and of one of two pathways for the biosynthesis of the defense response hormone salicylic acid (SA). We characterized a Zea mays ics1 mutant for impacts on metabolism, photosynthesis, and immune signaling. Phylloquinone was reduced in the mutant resulting in low electron transfer rates and high electron backflow rates. SA accumulation induced by autoactive alleles of the nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) gene Resistance to Puccinia sorgi1 (Rp1) required ics1. Induced accumulation of SA was not required for lesion formation by the autoactive Rp1-D21#4 allele. Metabolomic analyses and SA supplementation of Rp1-D21#4 mutants, ics1-1 mutants and Rp1-D21#4; ics1-1 double mutants demonstrated that most hypersensitive response-induced metabolism required ics1 but this was independent of SA accumulation. Both the PAL and ICS pathways contributed to SA biosynthesis in maize as labeled phenylalanine was incorporated into SA glucoside. Maize ics1-1 mutants had low PHENYLALANINE AMMONIA LYASE activity, accumulated phenylalanine, and decreased abundance of phenylalanine derived metabolites. This demonstrates that the ICS and PAL pathways interact by a yet unknown mechanism complicating the interpretation of SA biosynthesis in plants from genetics alone.

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  Host-Specific Parasites Reveal the History and Biogeographical Contacts of Their Hosts: The Monogenea of Nearctic Cyprinoid Fishes

  Andrea Šimková, Eva Řehulková, Anindo Choudhury, and Mária Seifertová

  Host-specific parasites exhibit close co-evolutionary associations with their hosts. In the case of fragmented/disjunct host distribution, host-specific parasites may reflect the biogeographical history of regions and/or the role played by contacts of hosts. The present study was focused on Dactylogyrus (Monogenea) species almost exclusively parasitizing cyprinoid fishes. We investigated the phylogenetic relationships between Dactylogyrus parasites of Nearctic cyprinoids (Leuciscidae) and Dactylogyrus parasites of Palearctic cyprinoids and used Dactylogyrus phylogeny to explore the biogeography of fish hosts in Europe and North America. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that two Nearctic clades of Dactylogyrus spp. have different origins. Historical contacts between European and North American leuciscids were accompanied by the host switching of Dactylogyrus species. In the Nearctic region, Dactylogyrus parasites also colonized non-leuciscid fishes. Dactylogyrus spp. of three Nearctic leuciscid clades were included in the phylogenetic reconstruction; only Dactylogyrus spp. of the Plagopterinae had a common origin. Dactylogyrus species did not reflect the phylogenetic relationships among leuciscid clades, suggesting that past co-diversification was overshadowed by colonization events mediated by paleogeographic and climatological changes and extensive drainage reorganization. Host-specific monogeneans serve as a supplementary tool to reveal the historical biogeographical contacts between freshwater fish from the North America and Europe and also contemporary contacts of leuciscids in North America

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  Simplicial structures over the 3-sphere and generalized higher order Hochschild homology

  Samuel Carolus and Jacob Laubacher

  In this paper, we investigate the simplicial structure of a chain complex associated to the higher order Hochschild homology over the 3" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; line-height: normal; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; position: relative;">33-sphere. We also introduce the tertiary Hochschild homology corresponding to a quintuple (A,B,C,ε,θ)" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; line-height: normal; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; position: relative;">(A,B,C,ε,θ)(A,B,C,ε,θ), which becomes natural after we organize the elements in a convenient manner. We establish these results by way of a bar-like resolution in the context of simplicial modules. Finally, we generalize the higher order Hochschild homology over a trio of simplicial sets, which also grants natural geometric realizations.

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  Supporting Shy Preschool Children in Joining Social Play

  Flannery Hope Currin, Kyle Diederich, Kaitlyn Blasi, Allyson Dale Schmidt, Holly David, Kerry Peterman, and Juan Pablo Hourcade

  Executive functions (EF), a set of cognitive processes necessary for goal-oriented behavior, are critical for children’s school outcomes and often lacking when children arrive in elementary school. One of the most promising interventions to address this gap is Tools of the Mind (ToM), a Vygotskyan approach to early childhood education with a strong emphasis on sociodramatic play. One challenge in implementing this kind of play is supporting children in joining play with their peers. In this paper we present a content analysis of an eight-week evaluation comparing implementing ToM-style play with and without technology supports. We found that one specific aspect of the technology supports, a voice agent, played a crucial role in integrating shy children into sociodramatic play.

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  The Type 9 Secretion System Is Required for Flavobacterium johnsoniae Biofilm Formation

  Todd J. Eckroat, Camillus Greguske, and David Hunnicutt

  Flavobacterium johnsoniae forms biofilms in low nutrient conditions. Protein secretion and cell motility may have roles in biofilm formation. The F. johnsoniae type IX secretion system (T9SS) is important for both secretion and motility. To determine the roles of each process in biofilm formation, mutants defective in secretion, in motility, or in both processes were tested for their effects on biofilm production using a crystal violet microplate assay. All mutants that lacked both motility and T9SS-mediated secretion failed to produce biofilms. A porV deletion mutant, which was severely defective for secretion, but was competent for motility, also produced negligible biofilm. In contrast, mutants that retained secretion but had defects in gliding formed biofilms. An sprB mutant that is severely but incompletely defective in gliding motility but retains a fully functional T9SS was similar to the wild type in biofilm formation. Mutants with truncations of the gldJ gene that compromise motility but not secretion showed partial reduction in biofilm formation compared to wild type. Unlike the sprB mutant, these gldJ truncation mutants were essentially nonmotile. The results show that a functional T9SS is required for biofilm formation. Gliding motility, while not required for biofilm formation, also appears to contribute to formation of a robust biofilm.

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  “Born Under My Heart”: Adoptive Parents' Use of Metaphors to Make Sense of Their Past, Present, and Future

  Lucas Hackenburg, Toni Morgan, and Eve Brank

  Metaphors provide the opportunity to make sense of our experiences and share them with others. The current research qualitatively examined interviews with adoptive parents who had adopted through intercountry or private adoptions. Throughout their interviews, each participant used at least one metaphor in describing their experiences of adopting and raising their child. Overarchingly, the metaphor of “Adoption is a journey” encapsulated parents’ experiences. To demonstrate the journey, parents used metaphors to describe the past, present, and future. Metaphors of the past focused on their child's trauma and the origin of how the child came to join their family. Metaphors used to describe the present were challenge metaphors, including child's behaviors and finding support, coping metaphors, and balance metaphors. Lastly, metaphors of the future included guiding and commitment metaphors. In addition to metaphors, parents used symbolic rituals to connect their children with their past and current family. From metaphors, we offer several practical implications for postadoption intervention. First, interventions should be developed to meet participants where they are. Second, interventions should focus on the overall picture of adoption, as parents make sense of their past experiences and their ideals about the future. Lastly, services should focus on tools, not fixes.

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  Does the Glass Slipper Fit?: Disney Princess Films and Relationship Beliefs and Attitudes

  Valerie Kretz and Veronica Hefner

  This study is a cross-sectional survey investigating the links between viewing Disney princess films and reports of romantic beliefs, relationship-contingent self-esteem, and attitudes relating to masculine courtship strategies. Results from the survey of 438 undergraduate students indicate a positive association between viewing Disney princess films and reports of relationship-contingent self-esteem, particularly for men, and endorsement of masculine strategies about courtship. Findings are discussed in the context of cultivation and social cognitive theory.

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  Association between shame aversion and ruminative retribution: Evidence for moderation by externalization of blame and control

  Michelle Schoenleber, Emily Beltran, Jessica R. Peters, and Michael D D. Anestis

  Shame aversion has been theorized to motivate aggression against the self or others as means of down-regulating shame. Additionally, the direction of aggression may depend on tendencies to attribute blame or causes internally or externally. Data from two separate samples were used to examine shame aversion and its interaction with causal or blame attributions in relation to aggression, controlling for shame-proneness, which is more commonly studied. Results indicated that shame aversion was positively associated with verbal, relational, and passive-rational aggression, as well as with ruminative retribution and non-suicidal self-injury, after accounting for shame-proneness. Most noteworthy, a significant two-way interaction indicated that the association between shame aversion and ruminative retribution (fantasizing about people getting their comeuppance) was particularly strong at high levels of externalization of blame. Findings therefore suggest that although shame-proneness may create situations in which shame regulation strategies are necessary, aggressive fantasies may be used as a regulation strategy when individuals have difficulty tolerating shame and blame others for their circumstances.

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  Making the Move Online: Interactive Read-Alouds for the Virtual Classroom

  Lindsay Stoetzel and Stephanie J. Shedrow

  Interactive read-alouds are a mainstay in traditional literacy classrooms because they support wide-ranging goals in reading development. As educators make the transition to virtual classrooms, it is paramount that core practices, such as the interactive read-aloud, are intentionally adapted to ensure that their purpose remains central to their use. Although the production of digital read-alouds has flourished during the recent pandemic, many of these videos lack key components necessary to foster meaningful literacy growth. Educators need to be aware of the affordances and limitations offered by digital read-alouds to analyze and create materials for classroom use. In this article, we offer resources to guide intentional planning to ensure that digital read-aloud experiences go beyond passive student consumption. In addition, specific recommendations illustrate how digital read-alouds can be positioned within synchronous and asynchronous classroom activities to preserve and amplify the sociocultural element that can be more challenging to maintain within virtual environments.

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  Wellbeing, EDIB, and the Promise of Leadership Development

  Kristin Vogel and Sue Erickson

  Morale research over the past several years documents a crisis in the library profession and a 2021 report by Ithaka S+R reveals a confidence deficit in library administrators around work towards equity, diversity, inclusivity and belonging. The connections between belonging, resilience, and morale are strong and immediate action is required to address the crisis. This article posits that a strategic approach to leadership development, with a focus on coaching, is key to bridging the gap. Authentic and adaptive leadership models as supportive strategies are explored and a coaching approach to management is presented to launch readers into their next action.

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  The role of information systems and knowledge codification for service provision strategies

  John N. Walsh and Jamie O'Brien

  Purpose

  While service scholars see modularisation as balancing the efficiency of standardisation with the value added through customisation the relationships between these concepts are under-theorised. In addition, although information and communication technologies can facilitate all three service strategies, the degree to which they codify service knowledge is not explicitly considered in the extant literature. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a model that examines service strategy trajectories by specifically considering the ICTs used and the degree of knowledge codification employed.

  Design/methodology/approach

  This study draws on three qualitative case studies of service departments of firms involved in cardiovascular applications, orthopaedic, spinal and neuroscience product development and information technology support. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, document analysis and non-participant observation.

  Findings

  Findings show that ICTs were increasingly used to codify both standardised and customised services, though in different ways. For standardised services ICTs codified the service process, making them even more rigid. Due to the dynamic nature of customised services, drawing on experts' tacit knowledge, ICTs codified the possessors of knowledge rather than the service process they undertook. This study also identified a duality between the tacit development of customised services and modular service codification.

  Research limitations/implications

  The model is validated using case studies from three companies in the medical and information technology sectors limiting its generalisability.

  Practical implications

  The importance of considering the degree of tacitness or explicitness of service knowledge is important for service codification. The paper provides managers with empirical examples of how ICTs are used to support all three strategies, allows them to identify their current position and indicates possible future trajectories.

  Originality/value

  The papers main contribution is the development of a model that integrates the literature on service strategies with knowledge management strategies to classify service standardisation, customisation and modularisation in terms of both service orientation and degree of ICT codification.