Digital Commons Network^™

Utilizing New Technologies To Measure Therapy Effectiveness For Mental And Physical Health, Jonathan Ossie

Dissertations

Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting increasing and disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse, and elevated suicidal ideation. One specific population that is especially high risk for these issues is the military community because military conflict, deployment stressors, and combat exposure contribute to the risk of mental health problems.

Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best, which has led to novel nonpharmacological approaches. One such approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative …

Engineering, Teaching, And Technology: A Nationwide Assessment Of Instructional Internet Use By Engineering Faculty, Alexander Lehman Phd

Dissertations

There has been an explosion of internet use among college students over the last decade for at least two important reasons: the proliferation of available resources and the arrival of a digital native generation to university campuses. Not surprisingly, engineering students are entering undergraduate programs possessing a much different skill set than previous generations, which has led to a decline in the popularity of traditional engineering pedagogy. Numerous conceptual models have been developed in the field of instructional technology, as researchers have attempted to classify and effectively integrate new technology practices into 21st century educational contexts. One of the most …

Facilitating Comprehension And Motivation By Engaging Adolescents As Ipad Readers, Virginia M. Bauman Edd

Dissertations

Technologies continue to transform the many ways that we read, write, and communicate, redefining what it means to be literate in the 21st century. For example, the explosive growth in tablet computers over the last few years has seemingly everyone embracing the new digital literacies without any real knowledge of the skills, strategies, and dispositions required to comprehend digital text. Given the newness of this technology, it's hardly surprising that little empirical research has been conducted to examine the extent to which e-books can actually improve comprehension as well as the motivation to read among students. To help solve this …

Virtual Teamwork In A Business School Master's Program: Do Team Charters Have An Impact?, Samuel Kyungjin Chung Phd

Dissertations

A virtual team is an organizationally and/or geographically distributed group whose members use synchronous and asynchronous technologies to work collaboratively. A team charter is a document that describes how group members intend to behave and interact while working collaboratively. Team charters have been used to facilitate virtual teamwork. This study, which took place in a graduate-level business program at a private university in California, was designed to fill the gap in the literature about team charter usage by virtual teams consisting of business students. The students were required to create a team charter in the first semester of the program …

Extending Our Understanding Of Social Belonging: College Students' Use Of Technology, Psychosocial Well-Being, And Sense Of Community In University Life, Sara Kathleen Henry Phd

Dissertations

Postsecondary education marks a transitional time in the lives of young adults. During this time, traditional-aged college students confront a substantial number of developmental challenges that are extraordinarily diverse and complex (Evans, Forney, & Guido-DiBrito, 1998). Erikson's (1968) theory of psychosocial development posited that the major developmental task of early adulthood is to establish close intimate relationships. The development of mature interpersonal relationships (Chickering & Reisser, 1993) is a critical priority if students are to successfully integrate into their social worlds and persist to graduation. Early theoretical models proposed by both Spady (1970) and Tinto (1975, 1993) linked institutional commitment …

E-Coaching In Organizations: A Study Of Features, Practices, And Determinants Of Use, Rebecca Vaughan Frazee Edd

Dissertations

Employee development in organizations is moving away from classroom instruction to more individualized, flexible forms of just-in-time learning and support, such as e-coaching. E-coaching, conducted partially or entirely at a distance, offers convenience, cost-savings, efficiency, and improved access to people and resources. However, research on e-coaching for work-related purposes is limited. This descriptive and exploratory study used mixed methods to examine e-coaching extent, technologies and practices, and factors that influence deployment and success in organizations. A web-based survey gathered opinions from over two hundred workforce learning and performance professionals. Semi-structured interviews gathered critical incidents from twenty e-coaches. The researcher used …

A Concerns-Based Adoption Model Study Of University Instructors Engaged In Faculty Development For Enhancing Learning With Technology, James W. Julius Edd

Dissertations

For over a decade, theorists have suggested that higher education institutions are in the midst of a shift from an emphasis on student access to instruction to student success in learning. Digital technologies are one “lever” increasingly touted as a means to improve teaching and learning in higher education. Because serious efforts at technology integration not only require competence with the technologies, but also often result in changes to instructional methods, colleges and universities are urged to consider faculty development needs. This study detailed how instructor change unfolded in response to a faculty development program intended to enhance the use …

Investigating Professional Development In Technology For Literacy Teachers, Michanne Hoctor Edd

Dissertations

Citrus Heights (a pseudonym) School District is an award-winning exemplar of technology integration. This small urban district has focused its resources on the re-design of its K-8 classrooms and curriculum to support educational reform through the use of technology, including hardware, software, and teacher professional development. Current best practices suggest that while staff development may begin with conventional in-service training, it should move quickly beyond to efforts that support teachers’ development as professionals involved in decision-making, inquiry, and leadership in their classroom teaching. In order to develop as professionals, teachers specifically need help and support in integrating new knowledge and …

Diversity, Collaboration, Reflective Practice, And Technology In Professional Education Programs: Strategic Choices For Higher Education, Caren L. Sax Edd

Dissertations

Today's postsecondary students are entering American institutions of higher education (IHEs) with different experiences, expectations, and learning needs than students of previous generations. Calls for more diverse campuses, advanced technology, and lifelong learning are maintaining pressure on IHEs to adjust to new demands for a more encompassing vision as traditional approaches are no longer adequate. The challenges are tremendous; the responses must be extensive and reflective if higher education is to achieve its goals of preparing students for productive and meaningful lives. This study investigated student experiences in a yearlong professional education program that was focused by four strategic choices …