Academic Experience

I have over a decade of research and teaching experience in academia.

Positions

Professor of Computer Science 2009 - Present

Purdue University Global / Kaplan University / Hesser College

• Developed curriculum and taught classes in-person and online

• Courses taught include

  • IT400 Ethics in Cyber Security
  • IT395 Certified Ethical Hacking II
  • IT390 Intrusion Detection and Incident Response
  • IT375 Windows Server Administration
  • IT374 Linux Security
  • IT332 Principles of Information Systems Architecture
  • IT304 Application Development and Scripting in the Cloud
  • IT267 Certified Ethical Hacking
  • IT247 Fundamentals of Web Graphics
  • IT232 Advanced Software Engineering
  • IT222 Introduction to Cloud Computing
  • IT214 Foundations of Web Design
  • IT213 Introduction to Software Engineering
  • IT117 Website Development
  • IT104 Introduction to Cybersecurity

• Subject Matter Expert and Course Developer for the following courses

  • IT414 Advanced Cloud Deployment Models
  • IT227 Introduction to Cloud Architectures

• Course evaluator and Prior Learning Assessment evaluator

• Focused on teaching .NET, PHP, Java, Javascript, Cyber Security, Network Security, Cloud Computing, Systems Administration, DevOps, Ethics, Software Engineering, Web Development, Business Computer Applications, and the Humanities

• Setup and maintained a Moodle-based online augmentation to on-campus courses allowing students to work on material outside of class

Published Research

MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS

Motivating software engineers is a primary concern for business leaders. Motivated employees lead to higher organizational efficiencies, lower turnover, and increased productivity. However, the motivations of software engineers in a business organization context are not fully understood. This difficulty is compounded when project managers and business leaders have different motivators than the software engineers they motivate. Software engineers also demonstrate different levels of educational attainment, which may lead to different primary motivational factors. This research examined the primary motivators of software engineers. The research utilizes a quantitative research design utilizing a validated survey instrument to determine the primary motivators of software engineers and determine if there is a correlation between the motivational factors and the educational background. After distribution, 1054 software engineers fully completed the survey instrument. Educational attainment correlated with Interpersonal Interactions {"(r = .187, p < .01)"}, General Working Conditions {"(r=- .514, p < .01)"}, Empowerment {"(r=. 579, p < .01)"}, Personal Development {"(r=- .560, p < .01)"}, and Compensation {"(r=- .403, p < .01)"}. Intrinsic motivational factors were found to be more influential than extrinsic motivational factors across all educational attainment levels. Further, the higher the level of educational attainment, the more emphasis was placed on intrinsic motivators.

Eaton, K. (2016). Motivational factors and educational attainment of software engineers (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Proquest.

CHAPLAIN ACCESS AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER SYMPTOM DEVELOPMENT

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant concern among veterans of combat operations. Chaplains, as spiritual leaders, confidantes, and counselors, have unique opportunities to help service members in distress. Thus, this research aimed to explore the relationship between chaplain interaction immediately following combat and later PTSD development. A reliable and valid measure of PTSD was administered to 319 combat veterans; 210 had received chaplain support, 109 had not. Multivariate analysis of variance was performed, examining cumulative PTSD score in relation to chaplain interaction, spirituality, religiosity, age, and gender. Wilk’s Lambda indicated that the predictors cumulatively explained a significant portion of the variance in PTSD score. All variables, except for gender, were significant. The strongest predictor of PTSD, by far, was chaplain access. Those who had access to a chaplain evidenced much lower PTSD scores. Results also demonstrated that as individuals age, they may be more likely to develop PTSD symptoms. However, this could be explained by the number of combat tours completed, with older persons presumably completing more tours. Interestingly, stronger spirituality was associated with fewer PTSD symptoms, but stronger religiosity with greater PTSD symptoms. Spirituality thus may serve as a protective factor against PTSD development, whereas the rigid thinking styles or other attributes associated with religiosity may make religious service members more vulnerable to PTSD development. A clear implication of the findings is that chaplain access immediately following combat may provide a significant mitigating influence on later PTSD development.

Eaton, K. (2015). Chaplain access and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom development (Master’s thesis). Retrieved from Proquest.