Identifying Barriers To Graduation For Nontraditional Students, 2016 Walden University
Identifying Barriers To Graduation For Nontraditional Students, Abena Salvant
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Increased enrollments of nontraditional students in U.S. higher education institutions have prompted many college and university administrators to consider student service programs. These programs ensure that support services are available to nontraditional students to cultivate healthy graduation rates among that student population. The purpose of this study was to discover factors that influence nontraditional students to become disengaged or be retained. The study was a qualitative case study with data collected from individual interviews with 10 nontraditional students participating in online and traditional onsite delivery systems at a private, nontraditional higher education institution in the western United States. The theoretical …
Adult Students' Perceptions Of Transfer Services At An Historically Black University, 2016 Walden University
Adult Students' Perceptions Of Transfer Services At An Historically Black University, Kimberly Anne Crews
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics have indicated a steady growth of students attending 3 or more institutions while pursuing a baccalaureate degree. When students transfer institutions, they may have specific needs for their new institution. Informed by the transfer receptive culture framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of students who had attended 3 or more postsecondary institutions on the services they received, before and after their transfer. Purposeful sampling yielded 9 adult students with multiple-institution attendance histories. Data were collected through semistructured instant messaging interviews. A series of messages included …
The Effect Of State Financial Aid Policies On College Completion, 2016 Walden University
The Effect Of State Financial Aid Policies On College Completion, Sheri E. Ragland
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
In 2008, state legislatures provided $6 billion in financial aid to 2 million low-income young adults. When low-income young adults receive state financial aid and do not complete college, states lose their investment because fewer people with degrees will contribute to the state's economy. Declining states' budgets have led to (a) the rising cost of higher education, (b) state merit-based aid that has targeted nonminority students from affluent backgrounds, and (c) state need-based aid that has targeted students further along in their college career. State need- and merit-based aid may contribute to the lack of college completion among low-income freshman …
Factors Of Resilience That Support University Art And Design Students, 2016 Walden University
Factors Of Resilience That Support University Art And Design Students, Ruth C. Morgan
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Graduation rates in bachelor's degrees in the United States continue to be lower than stakeholders expect, despite the many advantages of college completion. This phenomenological study investigated the interplay between resilience, coping strategies, and college completion for undergraduate art and design students in an effort to improve graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to address gaps in the literature regarding art and design students' resilience and academic success. Findings were interpreted using 3 conceptual frameworks: resilience theory, Bronfenbrenner's ecology of human development, and Dweck's theory of mindsets and self-beliefs. Research questions guiding this study addressed the external and …
Impact Of Orientation Programs On Nontraditional Students' Perceived Academic Success In Adult Education Programs, 2016 Walden University
Impact Of Orientation Programs On Nontraditional Students' Perceived Academic Success In Adult Education Programs, Marsha Ann Webster
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Many administrators and faculty within higher education institutions have grappled with identifying and employing effective strategies to facilitate student success and persistence. The current study focuses on assessing nontraditional students' self-efficacy beliefs and their perception of the orientation program at a 2-year continuing education program in a Caribbean nation. The study is important as the findings have the potential to increase nontraditional students' persistence and learning. Bandura's social cognitive theory and the theory of self-efficacy served as the theoretical frameworks of this sequential mixed-methods design study. The quantitative research questions examined the reported self-efficacy levels of 77 participants and nonparticipants …
Experiences Of Black Msm At An Hbcu Regarding Stigma And Hiv Risk Behavior, 2016 Walden University
Experiences Of Black Msm At An Hbcu Regarding Stigma And Hiv Risk Behavior, Natasha Harden Jeter
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Black men who have sex with men (MSM) on Historically Black College/University (HBCU) campuses face a unique set of challenges. In addition to being disproportionately affected by HIV, Black MSM are impacted by risk behavior, stigma, and environmental policies and practices that adversely influence their experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Black MSM at a HBCU and how stigma, culture, social practices and the collegiate environment impact HIV risk-taking behavior. Utilizing the ecological framework and qualitative analysis, the behaviors of 13 Black MSM on a HBCU campus were examined. Personal interviews and risk assessment …
The Effect Of Simulation Training On Nursing Students' Content Exam Scores, 2016 Walden University
The Effect Of Simulation Training On Nursing Students' Content Exam Scores, Lori Ann Podlinski
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Simulation training has been implemented at a small nursing school in the eastern United States to improve the currently low content exam scores in nursing courses. With the guidance of Kolb's experiential learning theory, differences in 8 course content exam scores were investigated for students who received simulation training in the content area before the exam and students who received simulation training after the exam, using a quasi-experimental, comparative design. Archival exam scores from 424 content exams, 212 completed by students who received simulation training before the exam and 212 completed by students who received simulation training after the exam, …
Professional Development Needs Of Faculty Members In An International University In Thailand, 2016 Walden University
Professional Development Needs Of Faculty Members In An International University In Thailand, Loïse M. Jeannin
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
In an international university in Thailand, with students coming from 92 different
countries, faculty members reported a need for professional development (PD). The purpose of this study was to understand faculty members' needs and preferences in the undergraduate department to help the administration offer appropriate PD programs. In accordance with the situated cognition theory, professional learning was approached as a social process embedded in workplace interactions. Research questions pertained to teachers' perceptions about their learning needs, program preferences, and the relationship between PD and student learning outcomes. In this descriptive case study, data were collected from fulltime faculty members via …
The Influence Of Historically Black Colleges And Universities Experience On First Year Retention, 2016 Walden University
The Influence Of Historically Black Colleges And Universities Experience On First Year Retention, Andrea White-Mcneil
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Student retention in higher education, specifically after the first year, has long been a focus of institutional strategies, especially among students with financial, academic, and social risk factors. The issue of retention was a priority for administration at the 4-year private Sea Port University, a historically black university in the southern United States, which is the focus of this case study. The university has shown a rapid decline in its retention rate since the period 2008 - 2012. The purpose of this study was to identify students' perceptions of factors in their Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) experience and …
A Modified Program Evaluation Of Training For Employer Compliance With Health Insurance Requirements, 2016 Walden University
A Modified Program Evaluation Of Training For Employer Compliance With Health Insurance Requirements, Joanneandi Davenport
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
A training program was established in the Midwestern United States to help employers understand compliance requirements of the health insurance industry. The purpose of this study was to conduct a modified program evaluation of the effectiveness of Pay or Play, a portion of a larger Benefit Compliance Program. The reason for the evaluation was the high percentage of remediation needed for administrators of employee health insurance following Pay or Play seminar sessions, which posed the question of program effectiveness in education of participants. This study is important because administrators of employee health insurance are responsible for understanding compliance regulations and …
Type Of First Term Course Failure And Community College Degree Completion, 2016 Walden University
Type Of First Term Course Failure And Community College Degree Completion, Jill Stearns
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Community colleges are the largest segment of higher education institutions in the United States providing access to historically underserved populations and growing numbers of first generation college students. Increasing college degree attainment is a national priority with new expectations of accountability. Despite decades of educational research, community colleges have startling low completion rates. Within the framework of Tinto's theory of retention, a predictive analytics model could provide community colleges the opportunity to drive custom intervention and support services to students. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of Biglan's taxonomy for categorizing courses for potential use in …
Patterns Of One-Course Cohort Participation In Online Teacher Education Programs, 2016 Walden University
Patterns Of One-Course Cohort Participation In Online Teacher Education Programs, Janeal Crane Smith
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Online higher education is a field that can benefit significantly from further research on innovative pedagogical methods designed to support students and decrease attrition rates. One method shown to improve engagement and retention of students in online environments is to include interactive engagement. This case study explored the patterns of students' interactions and assessment performance in an introductory teacher education one-course cohort. The study used a conceptual framework incorporating Bandura's social learning theory and Siemens' theory of connectivism. The study assessed archival data, from Adobe Connect recordings and records of competency pass rates, on the interactions and patterns of behavior …
Community College Basic Skills Math Instructors" Experiences With Universal Design For Learning, 2016 Walden University
Community College Basic Skills Math Instructors" Experiences With Universal Design For Learning, Sunny Greene
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Multiple approaches have been used in U.S. community colleges to address the learning needs of postsecondary students who are underprepared in basic skills math. The purpose of this exploratory interview study was to gain a deeper understanding of community college basic skills math learning through instructors' lived experiences using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach and its technology tool, a computerized pen. The conceptual framework for this study used Knowles's adult learning and Kolb's experiential learning theories with UDL principles. The central research questions investigated the professional development and teaching experiences of community college basic skills math instructors in …
Preparing Faculty To Teach Online: Promoting Success In The Online Classroom, 2016 Walden University
Preparing Faculty To Teach Online: Promoting Success In The Online Classroom, Julia Babcock Hamilton
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Distance learning students at a community college in the southeast United States were not completing their coursework as well as were students enrolled in traditional courses. This disparity was negatively affecting the institution's state performance measures, putting at risk the institution's state-based funding under the state's performance model. The purpose of this qualitative, bounded case study was to explore faculty experiences with online course professional development and faculty's teaching practices related to successful student online course completion. Chickering and Gamson's 'Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education' served as the study's conceptual foundation. Distance learning faculty (n = 10), …
University Presidents And The Role Of Fundraising At Private Liberal Arts Universities, 2016 Walden University
University Presidents And The Role Of Fundraising At Private Liberal Arts Universities, Greeley Robert Myers
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
In the last decade, private liberal arts universities have experienced financial difficulties requiring the need to raise private funds. The financial viability of these universities depends on the ability of university presidents to raise money; however, challenges remain to carry out this task. To increase fundraising effectiveness at the university being examined, this case study identified skills and practices of 10 university presidents who achieved fundraising success during their tenure, such as the completion of a capital campaign or the growth of the university's endowment. Transformational leadership style traits were considered to determine their alignment with the successful fundraising behaviors …
A Qualitative Case Study Of Strategies For Choosing And Evaluating Alternative Assessments In Online Higher Education, 2016 Walden University
A Qualitative Case Study Of Strategies For Choosing And Evaluating Alternative Assessments In Online Higher Education, Robert James Streff
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Studies have shown that not all students are assessed effectively using standard testing formats. However, it is unclear what alternative methodology would be useful to determine whether students have acquired the skills necessary for today's global market. This research study's purpose was to understand the processes instructors use when choosing and designing alternative assessments in higher education online courses to measure student performance. Using Gagné's conditions of learning and Bloom's Taxonomy as a framework to understand these processes, this qualitative case study examined 8 participants teaching online at Midwestern public universities. Interview data and course artifacts, including syllabi, rubrics, assessments, …
A Case Study For Georgia Southwestern State University: The Discrepancies' Of Financial Aid Services That Impact Student Enrollment, 2016 Walden University
A Case Study For Georgia Southwestern State University: The Discrepancies' Of Financial Aid Services That Impact Student Enrollment, Angela V. Bryant
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
At many traditional universities, the federal timelines for determining financial aid eligibility is based on releasing of the Free Application of Federal Student Aid each January, and the subsequent financial aid processing cycle July 1- June 30th. These federally established dates can conflict with traditional August class starts and creates a backlog and delayed processing of information that, in turn, hinders students from receiving timely information in order to make informed decisions based on financial aid awards. The purpose of this case study of a traditional university in Georgia was to apply net price theory and rational choice theory to …
Exploring Maintenance And Facility Operations Strategies For California Community Colleges, 2016 Walden University
Exploring Maintenance And Facility Operations Strategies For California Community Colleges, Virginia Parras Grande
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
California community college leaders are looking for strategies to sustain facilities and maintenance operations because the governor only approved the allocation of $87.5 million in the 2014-2015 Budget Act for facilities maintenance operations. Guided by the change and strategy theories, the purpose of this multicase study was to explore the strategies that a select group of college leaders have used to sustain or improve their facilities maintenance operations. The data collection process included a review of college planning documents and semistructured interviews with 10 senior administrators from 3 large California community colleges who have used strategies to address sustaining or …
Exploring The Influence Of Context On Resistance To Organizational Change Within A Virtual Faculty Workforce, 2016 Walden University
Exploring The Influence Of Context On Resistance To Organizational Change Within A Virtual Faculty Workforce, David Starnes Starnes
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Managers must know how to operationalize change, as well as manage the attitudes and emotions associated with transforming the organization. Managing the culture involved with organizational change is a challenge in any environment, and perhaps even more so when managing a virtual workforce. The problem addressed in this study was that while there is considerable research on organizational change, there is little research concerning the influence of trust in leadership, frequency of change, and history of change on virtual faculty resistance to change in higher education. As a result, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding regarding how context …
Evaluation Of A College Of Medicine Peer-Mentoring Program, 2016 Walden University
Evaluation Of A College Of Medicine Peer-Mentoring Program, Myra Haney Singleton
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Peer-mentoring experiences in higher education have been largely effective largely effective, however institutions implement them differently. The focus of this program evaluation was a peer-mentoring program at a medical school in the southeastern region of the United States, which had not previously been evaluated. Guided by Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of the evaluation in this study was to examine whether the peer-mentoring experience was perceived as helpful to new students and how students thought the program could be improved. The sequential mixed-method design consisted of a survey of 179 students and interviews of 8 students. A thematic analysis …