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An Evaluation Of Pathways To Community College Student Success In Anatomy And Physiology I, Staci Brooke Forgey

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The demand for healthcare workers is increasing nationwide. Higher education is responding by examining various interventions designed to increase completion (Abele, Penprase, & Ternes, 2011). Anatomy and Physiology is often identified as a gatekeeper course for students, since many withdraw or fail this course (Hopper, 2011). Within the VCCS, two colleges have implemented a prerequisite course, NAS 2, for Anatomy and Physiology. This study analyzed student data from before and after NAS 2 implementation, and examined General Biology to determine if it was a predictor of success in Anatomy and Physiology.

When NAS 2 was a significant predictor of grade …

A Qualitative Exploration Of First-Generation Student Experiences At A Rural Community College, Rebecca Margrete Evans

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

First-generation students comprise 36% of U.S. community college enrollments but struggle to remain in school to earn a college credential. First-generation students are less likely to enroll in college and have a higher probability for attrition than continuing-generation students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how first-generation students attending a rural community college located in the Southeastern United States perceived that their experiences impacted their academic and nonacademic success. This study replicated and extended the Stansberry and Burnett (2014) study that explored the experiences of first-generation students attending a large, diverse research university.

This phenomenological study utilized …

A Preliminary Study Investigating The Factors Influencing Stem Major Selection By African American Females, Tiffany Monique Ray

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the significant factors influencing STEM major selection by African American females. A quantitative research design with a qualitative component was employed. Ex post facto survey research was conducted utilizing an online questionnaire to collect data from participants. African American undergraduate females that had declared a major in STEM comprised the target population for the study. As a basis for comparison, a second data collection ensued. All non-African American undergraduate females majoring in STEM also received the survey instrument to determine if there was a significant difference between factors that influence STEM major …

Faculty Employment Status And Student Characteristics As Predictors Of Student Success In Modularized Developmental Mathematics, Leonda Williams Keniston

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Approximately two-thirds of incoming community college students are considered academically unprepared for college-level work and lack adequate literacy and mathematical skills needed to learn at the postsecondary level. To address these realities, individual community colleges and state-wide systems have responded by redesigning developmental curricula and course structures into modularized programs that accelerate student progression through developmental sequences. Simultaneously, community colleges are hiring more adjunct faculty to meet the ever-growing demand to educate students in these programs.

Data were collected for a study of the Virginia Community College System 2012 developmental math redesign to primarily examine the effects of adjunct faculty …

Perceived Transformational Teacher Leadership And Students’ Motivation, Academic Performance, And Intent To Persist In Stem Education At A Community College, Stacy Lynn Waters-Bailey

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The transformational teacher leadership style has been identified as having a positive impact on student motivation, academic performance, and persistence. This study served to determine if there is a relationship between perceived transformational teacher leadership and student motivation, academic performance, and STEM persistence intentions for students in transferable general education biological science courses offered at community colleges.

This quantitative research study was conducted in two phases at one campus of a large, multi-campus community college in a major urban area in a Mid-Atlantic state. In the initial phase, the researcher administered the survey to students who volunteered to participate in …

Baccalaureate Degree Attainment Of Students Who Transfer With Or Without A Transferable Associate's Degree, Janina Arrington

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify how demographic characteristics (age, gender, and race) impacted baccalaureate degree attainment for transfer students who transferred from a large, public community college located in an urban area in the Southeastern U.S. to two large public universities also located in urban areas in the Southeastern region of the United States. The study also assessed transfer services and support services for transfer students received at a large, public four-year research institution in the same region.

The quantitative phase of this study employed descriptive statistics to analyze the length of time to baccalaureate degree …

Self-Determination Theory And The Educational Motivations Of The Recently Incarcerated, Jason Edward Barr

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The primary research objective of this qualitative study is to determine if self-determination theory is applicable to the population of the recently incarcerated. If it is applicable, self-determination theory may be a new method of examining the educational motivations of prisoners and the recently incarcerated. Twelve subjects from the western region of Virginia were interviewed. Each had been in prison for more than six months within the past five years; each also held a general education diploma or equivalent. Subject responses were coded via the three major tenets of self-determination theory: competence, relatedness, and autonomy. Additionally, the researcher coded language …

The Impact Of High School Dual Enrollment Participation On Bachelor's Degree Attainment And Time And Cost To Degree, Thomas Earl Hughes

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Dual enrollment has become nearly ubiquitous in the U.S. with 82% of public high schools offering dual credit courses with student enrollment topping two million (Borden, Taylor, Park, & Seiler, 2013). Policymakers and proponents of dual enrollment have claimed that these programs better prepare students for college success and reduce the time and cost to a college degree. There is a growing body of empirical research showing that students who participated in dual enrollment programs completed bachelor’s degrees at higher rates than non-dual enrollment participants do. However, most of this research has focused on single institutions or states, and not …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Leadership Competency Perceptions Among Community College Leaders In South Central Appalachia, Matthew S. Mcgraw

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Combined with other economic development challenges in the region, this context presents unique challenges for community college leaders in this part of Appalachia. The American Association of Community College Six Competencies for Community College Leaders are considered within this context to explore how those leading community colleges in the region feel about the competencies, what is unique to leading in Appalachia, and their most useful professional development experiences. Those competencies are: organizational strategy, resource management, communication, collaboration, community college advocacy, and professionalism.

The Appalachian Regional Commission subdivides Appalachia into several regions which share similar topographical, demographic, and economic characteristics. South …

Impact Of Generation Membership On Job Satisfaction Of Financial Aid Administrators, Joseph Martin Dobrota

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The United States workforce is experiencing a shift in age composition due to the aging and retirement of the baby boomer generation. The work of this study will examine the impact generational membership has on the job satisfaction of financial aid staff at American colleges and universities. Through use of the Job Descriptive Index an examination of job satisfaction of staff members of the Rocky Mountain Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (RMASFAA) and Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SASFAA) is conducted. Using the concept of generation theory popularized by research team Strauss and Howe (1991), the study …

State Of The University Address, 2016, John R. Broderick

State of the University Addresses

President John R. Broderick's 2016 State of the University Address and Faculty Welcome.

Student Attitudes Toward The Transgender Community Following Restroom Reassignment, Kelly L. Duggins

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to investigate the effect recent changes to gender specific restrooms had on students’ attitudes toward the transgender community at a public research university in the southeastern United States. To determine if further education and/or inclusion actions should be implemented by university communities, an invitation to complete an electronic survey was sent by email to students at Old Dominion University’s main campus in Norfolk, VA. Participants responded to seventeen statements, each designed to collect data relating to one of the four research objectives of this study. The findings of this study may be used to …

Traditional Student Perceptions And Experiences Contributing To Community College Persistence, Naomi Elizabeth Simpson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

An increased effort to improve the retention percentages and number of college graduates must address the unique characteristics and experiences of the traditional-aged community college student population. Models of student departure and attrition seek to explain why a student stops attending a college through the analysis of quantitative data. These data, whether about student demographic characteristics, academic intent, institutional factors, motivational factors, etc. are used abundantly to predict persistence and retention patterns of 4-year college and university students. Perceptions and experiences of traditional-aged community college students relating to persistence and retention is an area of higher education research with insufficient …

“Just Young Dudes Having Fun”?: Social Media Reactions To The Odu Banner Incident, Ashley Marie Giraldi

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

“Rowdy and fun. Hope your baby girl is ready for a good time…” This statement was on the first of three banners hung from a fraternity home’s balcony on freshman move-in day. The second banner stated, “Freshman drop off here” with an arrow pointing to the front door of the home. The final banner suggested, “Go ahead and drop off mom too…” These banners demonstrated the explicit implementation of rape culture in the university setting. Rape culture includes humor that normalizes violence against women, such as the alleged joke that constituted the ODU banner incident. This research explored societal responses …

Community College Academic Advisor Experiences With The Appreciative Advising Model, Christine Damrose-Mahlmann

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The completion agenda has driven many community colleges to focus on alternative advising approaches in place of traditional advising practices. Appreciative Advising is a paradigm shift in academic advising that centers more on individual students by helping identify and build on their strengths. Advisors apply positive psychology and reality therapy with positive, open-ended questions to help students identify their strengths and plan for the future. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which community college academic advisors experience their self-efficacy and relatedness to students as they transition from traditional advising practices to Appreciative Advising practices.

This …

Exploring The Social Experiences Of College Students Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorders: Examining Neurodiversity On Campus, Monique N. Colclough

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Research and discussion on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in education is longstanding, albeit almost exclusive to secondary students. Within less than ten years the number of secondary students who were receiving special education services for autism doubled, two percent of which later self-identified at 2yr and 4yr institutions upon enrollment. This phenomenological study explores the experiences of college students who have autism spectrum disorders, focusing on the social experiences that impact college persistence and retention. The following research questions were guide to this study: what are the social experiences of college students who have autism? What role(s) do …

Building Stronger Communities: The Reciprocity Between University, Student, And Community Through Service-Learning, Jennifer Ellen Goff

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

This three-paper format dissertation explored the impact of service-learning on three key constituents: the university, university students conducting the service, and the community receiving the service. Paper one quantitatively explored the impact of service-learning on university students’ perspective through the use of end of year service-learning course evaluations. Students self-reported their outcomes due to participation as it related to professional skills, communication skills, academic learning, values clarification, citizenship skills, and quality indicators of their service-learning program. Paper one also explored if there was a difference between two types of service, direct (e.g., participate directly with the community) and indirect (e.g., …

Motivation And Learning In An Online Collaborative Project Using Gamification, Michele L. Hudiburg

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

In 2012, there were 2.9 million students enrolled in graduate degrees and 22% were taking strictly online courses (Kena et al., 2014). Many students are not motivated to participate in collaborative learning experiences in online courses (Dirkx & Smith, 2004). Gamification, the inclusion of game elements in non-game contexts, has been shown to have a positive impact on motivation (Deterding, 2012; Kapp, 2012). Prior work has focused on structural gamification including elements such as points, levels, and badges as extrinsic motivators to traditional course activities. The current study explored content gamification including narrative, role-play, interactivity, and feedback in an online …

"How It's Done": The Role Of Mentoring And Advice In Preparing The Next Generation Of Historically Black College And University Presidents, Felicia Commodore, Sydney Freeman Jr., Marybeth Gasman, Courtney M. Carter

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The college and university presidency is one of the most coveted positions in academe. Due to the projected retirements of current Historically Black College and University (HBCU) presidents, the researchers interviewed 21 current presidents, institutional board members, and presidential search firm personnel to explore what current HBCU leadership identifies as important mentoring/mentee practices, mentoring/mentee opportunities, and professional advice for HBCU presidential aspirants to consider. The findings, based on the coding and analysis of semi-structured qualitative interviews, revealed that self-awareness, focusing on the essential aspects of the job and not merely the perks, openness to being mentored and willingness to shadow …

Community College For All: How Two-Year Criminal Justice Transfer Students Perceive Their Educational Experience, Elizabeth Monk-Turner, John Allen, John Casten, Cathy Cowling, Charles Gray, David Guhr, Kara Hoofnagle, Jessica Huffman, Moises Mina, Brian Moore

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

[Introduction] President Obama and others have called for free community college-- "America's College Promise." Yet controversy surrounds the community college system, with proponents emphasizing the educational opportunities provided while critics bemoan the high dropout rate and lack of equality of educational outcomes. Little research explores how students perceive their educational experiences at two-year colleges. This article explores community college strengths and weaknesses as perceived by a sample of successful criminal justice transfer students. During qualitative interviewing, students reported that they had a positive experience at community college and that it allowed them to prepare to be successful at university. Expense, …

Application Of Visual Cues On 3d Dynamic Visualizations For Engineering Technology Students And Effects On Spatial Visualization Ability: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Petros Katsioloudis, Vukica Jovanovic, Mildred Jones

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Several theorists believe that different types of visual cues influence cognition and behavior through learned associations; however, research provides inconsistent results. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was done to determine if there are significant positive effects of visual cues (color blue) and to identify if a positive increase in spatial visualization ability for students in engineering technology courses is observed. According to the results of this study it is suggested that the use of the specific visual cue (color blue) provides no statistically significant higher scores versus the treatment that did not utilize any visual cues.

Impacts Of Music On Sectional View Drawing Ability For Engineering Technology Students As Measured Through Technical Drawings, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Mildred Jones, Vukica Jovanovic

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Results from a number of studies indicate that the use of different types of music can influence cognition and behavior; however, research provides inconsistent results. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was conducted to identify the existence of statistically significant effects on sectional view drawing ability due to the impacts of music. In particular, the study compared the use of three different types of music; classical, rock, heavy metal and whether a significant difference exists towards sectional view drawing ability, among engineering technology students. According to the results of this study it is suggested that the impact of music provides no …