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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 …

Faculty Perceptions Of Open Educational Resources In Cyber Curriculum: A Pilot Study, Alan Stines

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

The cyber landscape is growing and evolving at a fast pace. Public and private industries need qualified applicants to protect and defend information systems that drive the digital economy. Currently, there are not enough candidates in the pipeline to fill this need in the workforce. The digital economy is still growing, thus presenting an even greater need for skilled workers in the future. The lack of a strong workforce in cybersecurity presents many challenges to safeguarding U.S. national security and citizens across the world. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation defines Open Educational Resources (OER) as teaching, learning, and research …

Motivational Predictors Of Academic Risk-Taking, Danette Dee Barber

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students benefit when they are willing to engage in optimal challenges (Clifford, 1991). Engagement in challenges, however, comes with academic risks, as failure may be a result. This study investigated motivational factors, including expectancy, subjective task value, mastery goal orientation, and performance avoidance goal orientation as predictors of achievement-related outcomes, including course grade and academic risk-taking. Data were collected from 317 university students enrolled in education classes. Students were given a reading passage and asked to choose questions to answer based on the passage. Students who chose harder questions were categorized as taking more risk. Students also answered questions about …

General Chemistry Students' Perceived Self-Efficacy After Completing Project-Based Service-Learning Activities, Sarah Quast Sliker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A New England community college reported that 60% of General Chemistry college students, who were science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, did not advance in the STEM curriculum. To potentially increase student persistence in STEM curriculum, this qualitative case study project explored the self-efficacy perceptions of General Chemistry students after participating in project-based service-learning with elementary-school students. Bandura's social cognitive theory provided the conceptual framework for the study, supporting an understanding of learner self-efficacy. Research questions focused on chemistry students perceived self-efficacy after interactions with elementary-school students, teamwork, and the development of a project. Semistructured interviews with 10 participants …

Sns As An Educational Tool: Effect On Academic Performance And Learners’ Perceptions, Nawwaf Mohssen Altalhi

CCE Theses and Dissertations

With Social Networking Sites (SNSs) being extensively used by students, there has been extensive research in relation to their ability to enhance students’ academic performance in various learning environments, although the advent of research on online learning is a recent development.

Studies regarding the use of SNSs indicated that there was a negative relationship between students’ use of SNSs and students’ academic performance. However, it is unknown whether the implementation of an instructional training course utilizing SNSs as an educational tool might lead to improvements in students’ academic performance. Many students have admitted to not knowing how to properly use …

The Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of Female Students In A Computer Science Program At A Community College, Terry Voldase

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

America's higher education institutions have aligned computer science curricula with today's modern technology. Despite these efforts, data have shown that there is slow growth among young women majoring in computer science and even slower growth in this area at community colleges. Higher education institutions have also acknowledged a gap between men and women entering the computer science field and a need to explore options for computer science programs to engage women in the industry. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain an understanding of the perceptions and lived experiences of female students enrolled in computer classes at New …