Digital Commons Network^™

Meet Pressbooks, Dragan Gill, Jenna Azar

Open Textbook Initiative

Want to create and share your own teaching and learning materials online and in print? Adapt or author open textbooks? Pressbooks is an online publishing tool that lets you distribute materials in ten formats, including print. It’s perfect for sharing reports, lab manuals, anthologies and reading collections accessibly. This workshop will introduce you to the platform’s features and get you started with your RIC account.

Calls For Change: Seeing Cancel Culture From A Multi-Level Perspective, Tomar Pierson-Brown

Articles

Transition Design offers a framework and employs an array of tools to engage with complexity. “Cancel culture” is a complex phenomenon that presents an opportunity for administrators in higher education to draw from the Transition Design approach in framing and responding to this trend. Faculty accused of or caught using racist, sexist, or homophobic speech are increasingly met with calls to lose their positions, titles, or other professional opportunities. Such calls for cancellation arise from discreet social networks organized around an identified lack of accountability for social transgressions carried out in the professional school environment. Much of the existing discourse …

A Local Lens On Global Media Literacy: Teaching Media And The Arab World, Katharina Schmoll

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The globalization and transnationalization of media use have facilitated access to voices from the Arab world. Students and teachers in Western higher education can make use of these voices within and outside the classroom to enhance students’ knowledge of the region and challenge Eurocentric imaginations of the ‘Other’. Yet to ensure students engage with these Arab sources in a meaningful way, media literacy is key. Drawing on and challenging a framework of global critical media literacy, this article argues that media literacy is grounded in time and space, meaning an effective teaching of global media literacy skills supposes an awareness …

Engaged Social Media In Higher Education While Avoiding The Label Of "Striving", Jessica Nerren

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Striving has become a word laden with problematic meanings in the world of higher education. For instance, if a university is too aligned with business, or becomes overly selective, or deviates from original purpose or mission, then, at times, those actions are seen as striving (O’Meara, 2007). O’Meara (2007) defines striving as participation in efforts to improve status and prestige in line with the hierarchy. Allen (2021) echoes the problematic nature of this practice witnessed abroad, equating striving educational practices with neoliberalism, potentially overshadowing primary purposes of the institution, such as learning and teaching, or drowning out important parts of …

Risk Perception And Response Among International Students Of The University Of Southern Mississippi, Elida Lopes Souza Rocha

Master's Theses

Given the exposure of university campuses to hazards, disaster mitigation is a critical element of higher education policy. Although U.S. higher education institutions are leaders in the global education market, emergency warning systems give little consideration to how international students perceive risk, prepare for hazards, or access warning technologies available to them. This poses several questions regarding the suitability of hazards mitigation practices and the welfare of international students.

This thesis investigates the relationship between USM international students and natural hazards. Responses from online surveys and semi-structured interviews data were analyzed through qualitative and quantitative methods to document the extent …

Mapping Research Directions In The Introductory Communication Course: A Meta-Synthesis Of Published Scholarship, Lindsey B. Anderson, Ashley Jones-Bodie, Jennifer Hall

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The introductory communication course has a history of producing meaningful scholarship that shapes teaching and learning at institutions of higher education around the world. The scope of this research is broad and, as such, calls for a meta-synthesis of trends in and avenues for future research. This project examines published work from the past decade—2010 through 2019—in key outlets that regularly publish introductory course-focused research (The Basic Communication Course Annual, Communication Education, Communication Teacher, The Journal of Communication Pedagogy). This analysis of 98 articles revealed that publications tend to focus on three primary areas: (1) students and instructors, (2) the …

A Quantative Study Of Heol Students' Perceptions Of Communication Within The Lms, Holly Walker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to provide knowledge and information concerning students’ perceptions of communication within the LMS platforms for higher education institutions, using a quantitative study surrounding communication, sense of community, and LMS tools to address the problem. The quantitative design used a survey that consisted of various closed-ended questions, including Likert, multiple choice, and outcome measures of True/False and Yes/No questions. Various social media platforms were leveraged to provide a convenience sampling method to attract potential participants, and a total of 986 qualified respondents completed the survey. Data was analyzed through a series of descriptive statistics, …

Zooming In On Zoom Fatigue: A Case Study Of Videoconferencing And Zoom Fatigue In Higher Education, Chandra Kaye Massner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how faculty and students in higher education experience videoconferencing in online courses and why they feel fatigue. Zoom fatigue, the exhaustion users feel when communicating through videoconferencing platforms, is a recently identified phenomenon associated with the extensive use of synchronous videoconferencing communication. The research employed a qualitative case study approach to investigate how faculty and students experience videoconferencing and Zoom fatigue in online courses at a small liberal arts university in Appalachia. Document review, qualitative surveys, and in-depth interviews informed the case study. Faculty and student respondents reported dissatisfaction with …

Digital Journalism Within The Framework Of Higher Education Public Relations: A Case Study And Manual For Creating Online Feature Stories To Engage Prospective Students, Hunter Desimone

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Higher education institutions (HEI) are facing increasing competition for student enrollment. Studies indicate that websites are now the main source of a prospective student’s information-gathering process, but little research has been done on how higher education institutions can operationalize their websites as functions of public relations to persuade prospective students to apply. This project investigates how concepts of digital journalism can be used to create online feature stories that engage prospective students. A case study was conducted that included an examination of digital journalism literature, an analysis of digital journalism and public relations textbooks, and a content analysis of college …

Bulldogs In Crisis: How Butler University Strategically Leverages Its Live Mascot Program During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emilene Jean Smith

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study examines the utilization of higher education live mascot programs from a crisis communication perspective during the Fall 2020 semester amidst the dynamic contextual backdrop of COVID-19. Pulling from theories of relationship marketing and risk management, this research uncovers several best practices for mascot crisis communication including serving as a voice of empathy and as an ambassador for best practices. By looking specifically at Butler University’s live mascot program, this case study analyzed university social media, interviews and artifacts in order to understand how Butler utilized its live mascot program as part of its Fall 2020 semester COVID-19 communication …

Equal Access To Higher Education Institutions: An Analysis Of Big East Universities' Web Accessibility, Libbie Adele Rammage

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

More than 26% of the United States nation's population lives with a disability that inhibits the way they navigate and interact with the world. Some impairments may limit the accessibility of information, especially when it comes to viewing websites, applications, and online documents, but modern web accessibility standards aim to eliminate those barriers. The accessibility of information for those with disabilities is especially pertinent when it comes to colleges and universities. While a few researchers have delved into the realm of accessibility for higher education institutions, the current study questions whether small to mid-sized, private, liberal arts university websites are …

Allyship Training Programs In Higher Education: Creating A Critical Curriculum Of Change, Macy Marin Keith

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Allies Training Programs (also known as Safe Space/Zone training) are found in many institutions of higher education. Usually provided by an LGBTQA+ or Gender and Sexuality Center staff, the goal is to prepare participants for an allyship role in hopes of promoting safe spaces on campus and decrease instances of queerphobia. This thesis examined current allies training programs to determine what content is being presented and compare to the latest critiques and definitions. After analysis it is determined that current allyship trainings are inadequately preparing higher education staff and faculty for an ally role. Using the results of this study …

Three's Company: Collaborative Instructional Design On A Librarian-Instructor Team, Brittany L. O'Neill, Allen Leblanc, Deirdre Larsen

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This session will describe a unique collaboration that resulted in development of a strategic research assignment design supported by relevant information literacy sessions. This effort stems from an existing relationship between research librarians and an instructor who was previously a graduate assistant in Research & Instruction Services and became an instructor of a general education course in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Through this collective, a synergistic arrangement developed where librarians contribute to research assignment design and the instructor contributes to developing the information literacy sessions to prepare students for finding, evaluating, and understanding relevant scholarly articles early in their college …

The Critical Effect: Exploring The Influence Of Critical Media Literacy Pedagogy On College Students’ Social Media Behaviors And Attitudes, Nolan Higdon

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This self-exploratory pilot qualitative study examines the impact of critical social media pedagogy on students’ behavior and attitudes toward social media. This study employs a critical lens of course content and self-reported student data from eighteen participants who completed a Northern California university course titled “Social Media, Social Change” in the fall of 2019. The changes in participants’ social media behaviors and attitudes were measured via a pre and post survey designed by the researcher. Exposure to critical pedagogy was associated with changing views of social media, especially heightened privacy concerns. The study reveals areas of further research and recommendations …

Digital Victim: Castellian Perspective On Education In Rural Indonesia, Rina Juwita, Silviana Purwanti, Ainun Nimatu Rohmah

Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia

Covid-19 has presented a new set of challenges in every area; higher education is one of them. The pandemic has resulted in a shift in teaching and learning communication methods, creating a new structure for digital-based education. This study investigates this phenomenon through the perspective of Castells’ Network Society Theory to see the relational capacity of education in rural Indonesia. In his view, Castells summarized a distinctive concept between the flow of time and space in a networked society. The current space deals specifically with the center of social organization today where places around the world have been connected in …

The Expensive Commodity Of Education In Africa Versus Customer Experience, Mboungou Mouyabi Seke

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Moving into the time of the customer, the landscape of education has changed globally, including its model of leading business. The observation through the crystal of market-exchange in Africa shows students as customers and universities as service providers. For the reason that a business cannot exist without its customers, and higher education institutions are concentrating on the best way to win new business through multiple channels, customer experience arises to create value. It is within this context that this paper looks at higher education as an expensive commodity in Africa versus Customer eXperience. It also raises issues for talk and …

Higher Education And The Dei Climate: Exploring And Understanding The Role Of Social Media, Self Esteem, And Intercultural Communication In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Initiatives On The College Campus, Christian T. Cardona

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the effects and levels of impact that a university student’s intercultural communication competence, social media usage, and self-esteem have on the students’ attitudes towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts implemented by institutions of higher education. By studying these three independent variables, this research seeks to improve the understanding of the university students’ attitudes on DEI efforts for leaders and change agents in higher education, providing an inspiration for leaders, administrators, and change agents of higher education to continue collaborating to innovate methods and avenues towards creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus climate, as …

Effect Of Digital Advertising On Website Traffic At A Kentucky Comprehensive Regional University, Brandon Lee Moore

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to quantify differences in key performance indicators between paid and organic (not paid) website traffic over a one year period of time at a regional comprehensive university in Kentucky, which is located in the southeastern United States. Two distinct sources of website traffic can be measured: paid traffic and organic traffic. Using data from website traffic analytics, this study employed multiple linear regression analysis and time series methods to understand the similarities and differences between key performance indicators of paid traffic and organic traffic as they relate to key performance indicators. Data from Google …

An Exploration Of How University Development Officers Can Cultivate Year 0 Alums, Lily Mcknight

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

As higher education in West Virginia continues to lose state funding, students’ tuition is increasing to fill the gap. These tuition increases have led to an increased reliance on private funding and a need to creatively approach engaging new potential donors. Year 0 Alumni are an ignored group of stakeholders when it comes to university fundraising, likely due to their limited potential to make large gifts. However, cultivating these relationships demonstrates the long view necessary for future planning, while providing a novel approach for smaller gifts that can accumulate to meaningful support to address the current emerging need.

To this …

Exploring Academic Leadership In Higher Education Through The Lens Of Leader-To-Member Exchange (Lmx) Theory, Dequies A. Lanier

Theses and Dissertations

A phenomenological study focused on Exploring Academic Leadership in Higher Education Through The Lens of Leader-to-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, Dequies A. Lanier, 2020: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: communication, leadership development, higher education, leader-member exchange, organizational leadership This applied dissertation was designed to explore the communication between higher education leaders and faculty at the department level in the United States at a southeastern higher education institution. The study sought to explore (a) the communication relationship between leaders and followers; (b) commitment to the organization; and (c) suggested communication …

Higher Education Responses To Crisis: A Case Study Of Clark University And The Pandemic Of 2020, Lisa Gillingham

School of Professional Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered an existential challenge to universities and other academic institutions at a time when they are already grappling with other weighty issues that may alter the fabric of higher education. COVID-19 has forced these institutions to consider and employ new ways of conducting its work with a sense urgency that is unprecedented in the recent history of the academy. The rate of learning around these models is rapid, and Higher Education is ripe for change.

Clark University has addressed the pandemic with a plan to protect and pivot using strategies that support the continuation of its …

Begin To Play: The Case For Play In Community Engagement In Higher Education, Naomi B. Roswell

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

Although little is written about the role of play in community engagement in higher education, professors and administrators intuitively grasp its value in building trust and democratizing spaces, but use games thinly. This paper acknowledges the challenges of developing effective community engagement partnerships and demonstrates how and why games based in Theater of the Oppressed deepen and enhance initiatives to dissolve town / gown divisions and enable collaborative knowledge generation. Through an analysis of literature reviews and interviews, this paper makes a case for deliberately incorporating games from Theater of the Oppressed (TO) - to advance community engagement initiatives by …

A Value Approach: Some Notes Toward The Educational/Competitive Aspects Of Forensics Programs, Jan J. Younger

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This study attempted to investigate the educational/competitive values in co-curricular forensics programs. The study made two major assumptions (1) that individual events programs should be linked to the curriculum and (2) that the identification and development of educational values would contribute to the improvement of forensic instruction.

It was the purpose of this study to offer an examination of five current studies in higher education suggesting curricular reform. These studies included; (a) Involvement in Learning: Realizing the Potential of American Higher Education (1984), (b) Project on Redefining the Meaning and Purpose of Baccalaureate Degrees (1985), (c) The report entitled "To …

What Motivates People To Give, Cortni Megan Huffman

2020 Symposium Posters

Giving in the form of donations is crucial to a university’s success. A lot of research has been done on alumni giving, it’s the importance, and why alumni give, but little research has been conducted on how to get current students involved and what’s important to them. In this presentation, I will be discussing the theoretical approaches used to understand alumni giving and how we can translate the relationship marketing theory to get current students to donate to their future alumna matter. I conducted a pilot study wherein I asked current students if they would donate to Eastern Washington University …

The Question Of Pronouns: Recommendations For How Higher Education Institutions Should Implement Pronouns, Kaitlin Hahn

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Historically, higher education has supported the binary genders of man and woman by championing the binary in terms of receiving higher education, such as those who go on to pursue college degrees and further. As colleges and universities are driven to become more and more accessible, so do their policies. The research to follow highlights the need for higher education institutions to recognize and implement common use of pronouns, meaning the use of They/Them or other pronouns that do not align with how someone is assigned upon birth. By looking into the scholarship on pronoun use in colleges and universities …

Developing A Responsive And Adaptable Emergent Media Curriculum, Dennis Owen Frohlich, David Magolis

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The field of mass communication is constantly undergoing change and development, and the pace has accelerated with the advent of digital technologies. One challenge educators face is: how do we educate college students not just for today’s careers, but also for lifelong competencies with media? Against this backdrop, the Department of Media and Journalism at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania sought a new curriculum to capitalize on “emergent media,” that is, media that does not fit neatly into established mass communication disciplines such as journalism, telecommunications, public relations, and advertising. Our curriculum is centered around media literacy, skills development, and experiential …

In Our Own Words: Institutional Betrayals, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

When Dr. Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, professor of English at Linfield College, asked a large group of underrepresented faculty members why they left their higher education institutions, they told her the real reasons for their departures — those that climate surveys don't capture.

This essay originally appeared as part of Conditionally Accepted, a career advice blog for Inside Higher Ed providing news, information, personal stories, and resources for scholars who are, at best, conditionally accepted in academe. Conditionally Accepted is an anti-racist, pro-feminist, pro-queer, anti-transphobic, anti-fatphobic, anti-ableist, anti-ageist, anti-classist, and anti-xenophobic online community.

“I Never Shared My Opinion Again”: Political Communication Apprehension And Conservative College Students, Megan Elise Montgomery

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Higher education faculty have long struggled with getting students to participate meaningfully in classroom and campus dialogues. Some students avoid participating due to fear or anxiety of communicating with others. Certain topics, such as politics, can cause higher degrees of apprehension. Political minority groups can experience greater apprehension when communicating with majority groups. One minority group in academia with the potential to self-censor is the conservative student.

This study used state-based communication apprehension (McCroskey, 1984) and political communication apprehension (PCA, Jones-Carmack, 2019) as theoretical backings to explore how conservative opinion expression and self-censorship in academic settings might change over time. …

Performances Of An Able, Academic Mind, Caleb Green

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Western culture individualizes issues of public health. This is especially clear in academic life, where the structures of the university disable atypical bodies and minds in order to force them to simultaneously perform the roles of scholar, teacher, and colleague. The university not only fails to accommodate afflicted minds and bodies, it also produces more precarity in the process. This project is a performance ethnography of my time in the academy, starting with my life as an undergraduate being disciplined into academic life, moving toward recruitment for graduate school, and ending with events surrounding the construction of this very project. …

Dis/Ableist Consumption: A Critical Thematic Analysis Of Avowed And Ascribed Neuro-Identities In The Classroom, Shaundi C. Newbolt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, faculty and students are publicly claiming neurodivergent identities and support for the neurodiversity movement. This study uses Collier and Hecht’s cultural identity theories with Lang and Chen’s two-step process, critical thematic analysis (CTA), to examine avowals and ascriptions with four diagnostic terms, ASD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and dyslexia, of students and professors from Rate My Professors (RMP) with Ritter’s frame of RMP as a phenomenon.

A total of 1,022 posts are analyzed to understand how students resist or re-inscribe popular medical model/deficit discourse in the classroom: student avowals (N = 232), professor avowals (N = 51), …