Addressing The Overall Dissatisfaction Of The First-Year Student Experience In University, Christopher E. O'Gorman Mr.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

The concept of student experience has caught the attention of administration in postsecondary institutions, so much so, that they have dedicated departments that deal entirely with the experiences of students on campus. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the students’ overall dissatisfaction with their first-year university experience. The focus of this OIP is to provide a solution that will improve the overall experiences that students have. The OIP begins by introducing the organization through a PEST analysis and provides a framework for the problem of practice, utilizing secondary data that is publicly available. Utilizing structuralist theory as the theoretical …

Improved Regional Education Delivery: Reach For The North Program, Elizabeth Anne Sommerfeld

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) has outlined the change plan for a problem of practice for consideration of the education mandate at MY-U’s multiple regional campuses. The overall goal of this plan is to have increased the availability of academically rigorous courses for our regional students. An assessment of the readiness of several stakeholders allowed for a student-centred focus within the political, collegial and organized anarchy paradigms in which the university organization exists. A strategy is discussed to address issues in the administration and university culture while breaking down silos for the multiple campuses. A new organizational framework is offered …

Leveraging Technology To Increase Access To Training For Registered Nurses Working Remotely In The Community And Home Health Care Sector, Hilary Dogbeson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Registered Nurses (RNs) are expected to ensure their professional knowledge and skills are up-to-date in order to be competent and remain in good standing with their licensing body. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on promoting staff competency by addressing the problem of limited access to training for RNs who work remotely at the Community and Home Care Company (CHCC). A review of the literature suggests that staff training is essential, and there are many benefits to improving staff training, which include increased productivity, efficiency, and enhanced employee knowledge and skills. With an increase in remote employment, an increasing number …

Improving The Learning Environment Through Communication: A Systems Perspective, Allison Charlotte Alexander

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The call centre can be best described as an organizational system with three sub-systems made up of 15 sections. Systems are impacted by their environment and respond by outputting their own impact onto the environment (Jones, 2013; Kast & Rosenzweig, 2017). In the case of the call centre’s system, the environment is the caller (client), and the impact is the increased complexity in the types of questions asked. The call centre was impacted by clients who posed complex questions, and the system responded by outputting incorrect information to its clients (Internal Report, 2015). Internal research revealed that the system was …

Through The Eyes Of A Consultant: Leadership Succession Planning In An International School Setting, Hoda Etemad

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Research has shown that school leadership significantly influences institutional success and student achievement. Yet, studies indicate that in many school systems around the world, there is an absence of thoughtful and methodical leadership succession planning. The problem of practice addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan is the lack of an equitable, systematic, and transparent approach to leadership succession planning in an international school in Country A. Using this school as the basis for this study, systems theory (Senge, Hamilton & Kania, 2015) guides a “whole-system” discussion for developing and implementing an equitable, systematic, and transparent succession planning framework. Through the …

Exploring The Role Of Collective Teacher Efficacy In Closing Achievement Gaps: A Review Of An Urban District Model School Program, Folusho B. Abayomi

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Urban Academy is one of Urban Diverse School Board (UDSB)’s model schools situated in Ontario, Canada. A model school program was created to provide students with equitable access to resources and learning opportunities. Despite UDSB’s commitment to equity and inclusion, this urban school continues to experience persistent achievement gaps when aggregate data are analyzed. Based on student data, the achievement gap has been strongly connected to demographic factors such as low socioeconomic status (SES) of the parents. Educators’ beliefs and assumptions of low SES as an external factor posit achievement as a dilemma beyond teachers’ control. This Organizational Improvement …

Institutionalizing Blended And Distance Learning In Language Teaching At A Research University, Martine Rheaume

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly exploring innovative strategies to adapt to the 21^st century changing institutional context and to respond to the students’ needs and expectations. Given that technology in all its forms is ubiquitous in Education, one of HEIs’ strategical responses is the implementation of blended learning (BL) and distance learning (DL) as new pedagogies in all faculties. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) examines how a language department, part of the Faculty of Arts in a large research-focused University, can integrate BL and DL in language teaching. As this change is a significant departure from the current …

Transformational Teaching In A Culturally Passive Environment In Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study Of Stem Professors, Julie M. Kjeer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in this country has come under increasing scrutiny as employers, government agencies, and postsecondary institutions point to the lack of prepared students in STEM-related fields. Evidence compels higher education institutions to improve the quality of teaching to better prepare students for lives of productive service. While such evidence has spurred multiple reform movements, little substantive change has actually occurred. Despite a culture of passive and transmissive learning in higher education STEM disciplines, inspirational STEM professors exist who dramatically impact students in positive and meaningful ways. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was …