Digital Commons Network^™

Lectures Of The 21st Century: Hispanic Students' Perceptions Of Active Learning, Cihtlalli Guadalupe Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

With the current movement towards active engagement in higher education, research on student perception of teaching strategies can shed light into how teaching practices are received. While there is abundant research on student perception of active learning, little research has focused on how Hispanic students perceive this form of pedagogy. The primary purpose of this study is to examine how Hispanic students respond to active learning classrooms. This descriptive study will provide initial findings of students’ responses to active learning, enabling institutions and instructors to understand challenges and address barriers to improve the graduation rates of Hispanic students. A total …

Learning By Game Design For Library Instruction: A Multiple Case Study, Angela Usha Ramnarine-Rieks

Dissertations - ALL

Despite the importance placed on information literacy in fostering lifelong learning, helping students develop the skills required of critical thinkers and independent learners are limited. This study contributes to the burgeoning discourse on alternative instructional approaches to teaching information literacy and focuses on the use of game design in learning environments.

The appeal of gaming among the younger generation of learners has led to the increasing use of games in learning environments. Within recent years, some innovative academic libraries have begun adopting games as a platform for information literacy instruction. While the literature recognizes game design as fostering higher-level learning …

Closing The Loop: A Study Of How The National Survey Of Student Engagement (Nsse) Is Used For Decision-Making And Planning In Student Affairs, Jennifer Lee Mccaul

Dissertations

“Closing the loop” is a commonly used phrase in discussing cyclical processes, such as the area of outcomes assessment in higher education. Increased interest in accountability and a shift in accreditation focus have necessitated that higher education institutions are closing the assessment loop and creating a culture of evidence to demonstrate that programs and services are having the intended impact, and using resources effectively. That culture includes both academic and co-curricular elements of the student experience. This research examined if, and to what extent, student affairs administrators use the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)—one of the most prominent instruments …

To Be Or Not To Be Satisfied: Examining Job Satisfaction Of Entry-Level Residence Life Professionals At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Evingerlean D. Blakney

Dissertations

Research on historically Black college and universities (HBCUs) as institutions of higher education is limited. There is even less scholarship that brings forth an understanding of student affairs at these institutions. A gap in the higher education, student affairs, residence life, and job satisfaction literature suggested a need for research on residence life professionals at HBCUs. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine job satisfaction of entry-level residence life professionals at HBCUs. For this study, the researcher looked for factors that contributed to overall job satisfaction and further examined the roles of both gender and public or private …

Navigating The Urban-Rural Divide: The Agency Of Rural Chinese Female Higher Education Students In China, Lifang Wang

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation explores how rural Chinese female students at urban Chinese higher education institutions conceptualize and negotiate the urban-rural divide that often interplays with gender and the discourse of quality (suzhi) to shape their lives. A substantial body of literature discusses the profound inequalities that rural Chinese people encounter due to the urban-rural divide and household registration system (Chan & Zhang, 1999; Wang & Zuo, 1999; Loong-Yu & Shan, 2007; Tang & Yang, 2008; Whyte, 2010; Han, 2010). An increasing amount of literature also addresses the experiences of rural Chinese migrant women working in urban China (Gaetano & Jacka, 2004; …

Academic Support Staff As Servant Leaders And The Relationship To Student Satisfaction, Joan M. Arrington

Dissertations

This study examined servant leadership practiced by academic support staff of academic departments within four-year, post-secondary institutions. These support staff include employees within academic departments such as secretaries, administrative assistants, and coordinators that do not have managerial responsibilities and are not instructional faculty. The target population for this study was all full-time and part-time students, both undergraduate and graduate, eighteen years of age or older, and enrolled at post-secondary four-year higher education institutions in Mississippi. Results based on the data collected suggested a majority of academic support staff rated at four of the seven institutions exhibited the characteristics of servant …

#Networkedglobe: Making The Connection Between Social Media And Intercultural Technical Communication, Laura Anne Ewing

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Preparing students of technical communication in the twenty-first century means training them to rhetorically utilize a wide variety of online tools. Technical communicators are now required to employ social media applications on a daily basis to communicate with clients, consumers, colleagues, and other organizations. These online modes have also opened the door to global communication wider and continue to present opportunities and challenges to technical communicators worldwide. Using Japan as a model, this dissertation sought to demonstrate a rhetorical exigency for teaching intercultural social media communication strategies to future technical communicators in the United States. The goal of this dissertation …

Higher Education Alumni Associations And Political Advocacy, Richard N. Buchli

Dissertations

Political advocacy is comprised of speaking on the behalf of a cause or participating as part of a political action group (Weerts, Cabrera, & Sanford, 2010). Because state financial support for public higher education has not been maintained at previous levels, higher education (HE) institutions have been recruiting alumni in an attempt to win state appropriations. As discovered by Avery (2012), very little research exists on the role of alumni associations in political advocacy efforts. In this study, a quantitative research approach was conducted to gather data on D1 public college and university alumni associations. The instrument utilized in this …

Looking To The Future: Considering The Educational Transitions Of Deaf Youth In Ontario, Kaitlyn A.W. Blair

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

National and provincial policy development reflects increased attention to inclusivity for all Ontarians in education and work. However, academic and government literature examining educational and employment transitions, fails to effectively address the experiences of those who are deaf. The limited research that does exist suggests that deaf Ontarians have lower educational and occupational attainment levels than their hearing peers (PALS 2006). Drawing on four qualitative case studies of deaf youth, this study analyzes participants’ planned transitions from high school to post-secondary education. Findings suggest that high levels of perceived self-efficacy are helpful in motivating transitions to higher education. The life …

University Professors' Perceptions On Blogging As Course Assignments In Southwestern Ontario: A Multiliteracies Framework, Annie Tran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In light of contemporary trends and practices, namely the impact of globalization and the integration of new technologies being promoted in the field of applied linguistics (Byrd Clark, 2012; Kern, 2006; Malinowski & Kramsch, 2014), this study explores the perceptions of professors, who teach graduate courses in Education on the impact and adaptation of new technologies on their pedagogy; namely the use of blogging as an educational activity. This study analyzes the traditional or innovative pedagogical practice of today’s graduate professors. This qualitative case study is based on a multiliteracies theoretical framework and incorporate the following methods: a survey and …

Three Essays On The Economics Of Higher Education: How Students And Colleges Respond To Financial Aid Programs, Jilleah Gayle Welch

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three chapters that examine the impact of financial aid programs on students' enrollment decisions, student outcomes, and colleges' financial decisions. In the first chapter, I use discontinuities in eligibility criteria for a large merit scholarship program to examine the impact of aid on community college students' outcomes both during and after college. Community colleges enroll a large share of first-time freshmen but represent a much smaller share of financial aid research. Furthermore, researchers have focused on the impact of aid on enrollment and outcomes during college, but none have yet considered the impact of aid on …

Exploring Veterans' Experiences In Engl-101 At Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, John Edward Gund

Theses

In recent years, an increasing number of military veterans have enrolled in higher education. Little research has been conducted on veterans in tandem with higher education, but what does exist shows that they are a unique student population because of their military background. In the last few years, scholarship has called for research on veterans in classroom environments. Moreover, composition scholars in particular have called for research on veterans and writing. Although veterans have been recognized as a unique student population, little research has been conducted on what pedagogical practices can be used to help them as they become students. …

Utopia And Human Culture: Alternative Communities Of Higher Learning In America, Eli Orner Kramer

Theses

In this thesis I explore the place of the actualized utopian American alternative community of higher learning within a philosophy of human culture. I carry out such a study in order to articulate a unifying description of movement; to find the “target” that orients the activity of actualized utopia, as opposed to a classificatory rule to define a mechanically determined utopian-object. Although these communities have varied in practice since the first generation of them were created in the mid-nineteenth century, I argue that they have played, and continue to play, a particular role in America. They imagine what a world …

Alignment Of Mission Statements With Hiring And Evaluation Processes Of Faculty At Higher Education Institutions Approved By The Academic Quality Improvement Program (Aqip), Nancy M. Foster

Dissertations

In 1999 when the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association created the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) path for accreditation, they instituted a new format for the documentation of evidence of meeting accreditation criterion called a Systems Portfolio. This study involved the analysis of the Systems Portfolios from 36 institutions to check for alignment of their mission statements, and stated faculty hiring and evaluation processes. Each Systems Portfolio was analyzed for themes found in previous research on mission statements and documentation of the processes for hiring and evaluation of faculty. Additionally, institutions from three Carnegie Classifications were compared …

Old Ideas In New Skins: Examining Discourses Of Diversity On The Websites Of 10 Urban-Serving Universities, Simone Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Deficit discourse, the idea that minorities "lack" intellectually, runs through current ideas about diversity in higher education. Diversity is viewed as a policy that helps the deficient. Recent litigation about diversity, Fisher v. University of Texas (2013), embodied the alignment of deficit and diversity. This study examined portrayals, visual and textual, of diversity on the websites of ten urban-serving universities, using a method of critical discourse analysis and a lens of critical race theory, to uncover the ways they defined diversity and if notions of deficit were attached. This study also addressed the ways these universities, a part of the …

Organizational Communication: Perceptions Of Staff Members’ Level Of Communication Satisfaction And Job Satisfaction, Priti R. Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces. This study was also designed to test the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction by analyzing the significance of different dimensions of Communication Satisfaction with the view that satisfaction is multifaceted.

A total of 463 non-faculty staff members from different units of a single higher education institution participated in this study. This study included non-teaching staff, including student workers and both full-time and part-time staff members. …

A Narrative Study Of Latinas' Experiences With The Leadership Pipeline In Higher Education, Ana Cecilia Marrero-Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to report the stories of Latina’s experiences with the leadership pipeline in higher education, and determine what venues within that pipeline facilitate or impede access to executive level administrative positions. The practical significance of this study would include expanding the quantity of academic research on Latinas’ interest and inclusion in obtaining executive leadership positions in higher education, where little has been recorded of their presence or successes (Lopez-Mulnix, Wolverton & Zaki, 2011). In addition, though many studies have been conducted on racial and ethnic minority faculty (Eddy, 2009; Moses, 2009; Green & …

Examining Factors Influencing Ncaa Division-I Conference Realignment, Ginikachi O. Nwosu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The landscape of intercollegiate athletics continues to evolve and become

more dynamic. One of the most visible aspects of these changes is athletic conference realignment. During the period from 2010 to 2014 alone, over 30 institutions across the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) changed or announced imminent plans to change athletic conference affiliation (Mandel, 2012). Conference realignment is described as institutional changes in athletic conference affiliation (Covell & Barr, 2010; Groza, 2010; Sweitzer, 2009). Various literature has identified variables which influence NCAA Division-I institutions’ decisions in regard to conference realignment, yet no comprehensive study has examined …

"It Is Not In The Stars To Hold Our Destiny But In Ourselves": Tales Of Saudi Muslim Women Maintaining Their Identities In U.S. Higher Education, Debi Sheridan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of these oral histories was to examine, explain and reveal the success of a small group of Saudia (female Saudis) whose studies at a mid-Western American university through the medium of English (their second or third language). Four students were randomly selected from a group of volunteers, based on their successful completion of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, plus a year of other academic classes in the university. One student, who had not completed the ESL program, was admitted to the master of English program having passed the Test of English as a Foreign Language …

Developmental Education At The Community College: An Exploration Of Instructional Best Practices And The Relationship Between Integration, Student Involvement And Rates Of Completion, Beverly Gayle Strickland Lewis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the developmental education process within the community college system in Mississippi. Tinto’s (1993) Integration Theory and Astin’s (1993) Theory of Student Involvement were employed as a framework to assess and understand the relationship between academic integration, social integration, student involvement, and rates of completion.

This concurrent mixed method study identified best practices related to the successful completion of developmental education courses from the vantage point of the faulty and administration at the community college. A total of ten faculty and administrators from five of the community colleges in Mississippi were given a …

How Higher Education Institutions Utilize Social Media, Shauntel J. Hall

Honors College Theses

Social media is dramatically changing the way that people communicate and interact online. Several businesses have made it a priority to establish a presence on social media to connect with some of its biggest users: millennials. As social media has gained popularity, higher education institutions all around have begun to establish social media platforms in order to interact with current and prospective students and alumni. This study examined how higher education institutions in the University System of Georgia are utilizing social media and also compared use among the various types of institutions (research, comprehensive, state college and state university). Using …

A Verification And Extension Of Students' Motivations, Financial Orientation, And Identity Salience As Predictors Of Likelihood To Withdraw From A University, Matthew I. Quinn

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

Broadly, this research examines a student’s likelihood to withdraw from a university based on the relationship between motivations, financial orientation, and identity salience. Specifically, this study empirically examines the relationship between extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, and apathetic motivation, perceived opportunity loss and lifestyle activities related to financial orientation, and satisfaction and reciprocity related to identity salience, as predictors of a student’s likelihood of withdrawing from a university.

A questionnaire was designed by extending scale items related to the constructs of interest. First-year students at a private university located in the upper Midwest were sampled. A hypothesized model was tested using …

Communicating Value: Understanding Adjunct Typology, Job Satisfaction Levels, And Professional Development Interests, Lisa P. Davidson

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Higher education institutions are navigating budget cuts, changing enrollment, and the need to differentiate from the competition. Reductions in government funding and budgetary constraints are prompting universities to reduce the number of full-time, tenure-track faculty and rely more heavily on adjunct faculty to meet their demand for instructors. Therefore it is important to determine the distinct needs and satisfaction levels of this faculty group in order to provide appropriate resources and development opportunities for them. This study sought to determine if adjunct faculty job satisfaction levels differ based on adjunct typology (Gappa & Leslie, 1993) or institutional affiliation, and to …

Sit’S Low-Residency Master Of Arts In Tesol Program: Principles And Practices In Online Teaching And Learning, Jaime Durham

MA TESOL Collection

Coursework in the revisioned Low-Residency Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program at SIT Graduate Institute takes place primarily online. In this paper, the author examines the first two years of the program (which launched in 2013) from her experience as the program coordinator to illustrate how the MAT program’s foundational educational principles influence the program in the e-learning environment. The author uses the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework to give an overview analysis of the design and implementation of the online courses, to measure levels of social and cognitive presence among students, and to …

Exploring Daca Recipients' Access To Higher Education In Connecticut, Chloe V. Shiras

Senior Theses and Projects

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients represent a new and somewhat unexplored population within the undocumented immigrant community. Having only been introduced three years ago, they live within a state of liminality, legally present in the United States for the first time but with the understanding that it can be stripped from them without a moments warning. DACA is an executive order announced by Obama in 2012, which stated that certain DREAMers (young undocumented immigrants who had been brought to the United States by their parents at a young age) would receive temporary relief from deportation, a work permit, …

Conditionalities Of The Knowledge Banks And The Financing Of Higher Education In West Africa: A Focus On Ghana, Nigeria, And Sierra Leone, Innocent Chima Ugwoke

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to understand how the loan conditionalities of the knowledge banks—the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are affecting the funding of higher education in West Africa generally by particularly comparing Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The role of higher education has been linked with development, and development has remained a concerned issue in Africa. The commitment of the states in funding higher education in order to achieve the desired goal of development is continuously met with difficulty. The reliance of these countries on the loans of the knowledge banks, which are associated with …

Learning On Placement: A Sociomaterial, Practice-Based Approach To Work-Integrated Learning, Bonnie Amelia Dean

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The Australian higher education environment has undergone significant change in recent years in order to better prepare learners with the essential knowledge, skills, and experiences to compete in an increasingly globalised, technological, and innovative workplace. One way universities are preparing their learners is by embedding aspects of work within or alongside curriculum, through work-integrated learning (WIL) initiatives.

However, in recent WIL studies, concerns have been raised around a perceived lack of alignment between university program structures, particularly in the form of assessments employed to evaluate and report learning, with the type of learning that occurs in the workplace through authentic …

A Blueprint For Higher Education Institutions Of Today: Supporting African American Students Through An Institutional Cultural Shift, Karimah Janelle Shabazz

Senior Projects Spring 2015

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Investigating University Instructors’ Experiences And Uses Of Mobile Technology In Teaching And Learning In Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim K. Alali

Wayne State University Dissertations

The use of mobile technology in teaching and learning has become a worldwide phenomenon. Many university instructors in Saudi Arabia have also started using their own mobile technology in their teaching and for communication with students. But there is limited research on Saudi Arabian university faculty’s experiences of using mobile technology in their teaching practices. This mixed-method study adapted the R2D2 (Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and Doing) model (Bonk & Zhang, 2006, 2008) to investigate faculty’s uses of mobile technology in Saudi Arabian universities, including both instructors’ own teaching and learners’ activities.

An online survey, with both Likert-scale items and open-ended …

Relationship Between Honors College Membership, Student Satisfaction, And Personality At Eastern Michigan University, Caitlin Baumer

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Student satisfaction is a high priority for universities across the nation, as high levels of satisfaction have been correlated with higher enrollment and retention rates. There are an infinite number of things that can potentially influence a student's level of satisfaction with a college or university, making it increasingly difficult for the institution to maintain high levels of satisfaction across their diverse populations of students. Factors such as academic advising, registration effectiveness, instructional effectiveness, and campus climate have been shown to influence student satisfaction, and thus impact an individual's college experience. It was predicted that students who are members of …