Digital Commons Network^™

Internationalization In Egyptian Higher Education: Two Case Studies From Public Universities, Esraa Mostafa

Theses and Dissertations

In an increasingly globalized world, internationalization has emerged as a promising global trend to contribute to a more interconnected and diverse academic environment. By examining the stakeholders’ perceptions of two joint programs, this study presents a balanced assessment of the quality of education in internationalized programs based on the dual nature of opportunities and barriers associated with internationalization. This study highlights a research gap in the internationalization process of the learning landscape in Egypt. Filling this research gap would offer insightful information to academics, institutions, and policymakers in the field of higher education within the Egyptian context. The study’s findings …

Examining How Artistic Expression In The Classroom Can Increase Students' Academic Performance And Understanding Of Course Material, Jake Taylor Marrazzo

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined how artistic expression in the classroom can increase students’ academic performance and understanding of course material. This study consisted of graduate students in the Masters of Arts in Higher Education program at Rowan University, during the Fall/Spring 2023-2024 semesters, enrolled in at least one of the following courses: Crisis Management, Higher Education in America, and The College Student. The study utilized an artistic expression activity, painting, in connection with participants' course material and readings to understand the benefits of artistic expression on student success in the classroom. Some findings of this study show that artistic …

University Students' Wellbeing: A Case Study Of An International Private University In Egypt, Alia Attia

Theses and Dissertations

Wellbeing is a crucial topic that is gaining increasing attention in higher education and should be taken into careful consideration. This is a qualitative case study, using a phenomenological approach, which explores the phenomenon of student wellbeing in an international private university in Egypt. Data was collected through semi-structured individual interviews with a total of fourteen participants: eight purposefully selected students who have taken part in wellbeing programs, initiatives, or events at the American University in Cairo (AUC), as well as six faculty/staff members, leaders, mentors, or coaches in the field were interviewed. In addition to the interviews, conversations were …

Impact Of Implicit Racial Bias On Students Of African Descent In Predominately White Institutions, Edwin Mathieu

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how implicit racial bias influences the perceptions of students of African descent in predominately White colleges (PWIs) in the United States (U.S.). The theoretical framework for the study is critical race theory (CRT). CRT challenges racial indifference by exposing how racial advances often come at the cost of promoting or feeding into White self-interests (Patton et al., 2007). This non-experimental quantitative study examined how GPA, the number of credits earned, gender, race, and campus culture impact students of African descent’s perceptions of culturally implicit racial bias. It used Asian, Hispanic, and White students as a comparison group. …

Not At The Expense Of Me: Best Practices For Black Women Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Social Justice Practitioners In Higher Education, Brittney Michelle Elese Fink

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research paper investigated the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and the year 2020 in sparking a phenomenon of hiring chief diversity officers (CDOs) in higher education. By exploring the interplay between the pandemic, racial justice movements, evolving higher education landscape, and institutional accountability, this study aimed to understand the motivations behind the increased hiring of CDOs during this transformative period. Additionally, this research examined the specific effects of this phenomenon on Black women diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice (DEI&J) professionals in higher education. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by …

Understanding Needs: Facilitating Faculty Support For Formal Assessment Processes In Higher Education, Terrance Cao

Theses and Dissertations

Prior literature discusses how conflicting beliefs regarding assessment, competing workloads, and a lack of formal assessment resources may contribute to faculty reluctance to engage with formal assessment processes. There is a gap in research on exploring assessment leader-faculty relationships through the lens of Leader-Member Exchange Theory and how that may affect participation in formal assessment processes. To address this gap, the researcher implemented a qualitative, phenomenological study to interview faculty about their lived experiences in working with formal assessment processes and interacting with assessment leaders. The goal was to discover emerging thematic categories regarding faculty perceptions of formal assessment processes …

Mandated Sexual Violence Prevention In Higher Education: A Quantitative Analysis Of Student Response To Sexual Harassment And Violence Through A Framework Of Organizational Culture, Andrew L. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual violence (SV) is a global public health crisis of pandemic proportions. Sexual harassment (SH) and violence are pervasive on college campuses, negatively impacting students, faculty, and staff. To address this, U.S. universities are required by federal law to implement EBP programs to foster awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and skills/behaviors (competencies) to prevent or mitigate sexual misconduct. Improving these competencies can increase students’ capacity to respond to SH and SV they experience or witness positively impacting retention, health, wellness, and graduation outcomes. Additionally, recent empirical evidence has linked organizational culture (i.e., values, shared beliefs, and artifacts) and competencies to effectively responding …

La Incidencia En El Desarrollo De Competencias Digitales De Los Estudiantes De Una Universidad Virtual En Texas, Elga D. Sepulveda Suarez

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio cuantitativo fue indagar en la incidencia en el desarrollo de las competencias digitales de los estudiantes de una universidad virtual en Texas. Durante el mes de marzo del año 2023 se administró un cuestionario a los estudiantes subgraduados con el fin de conocer sobre el desarrollo de las competencias digitales. El estudio reflejó la importancia en buscar herramientas que ayuden a que el estudiante pueda estimular su creatividad, desarrollar su pensamiento crítico y discernir sobre el uso y manejo de herramientas digitales. Esta fue una investigación tuvo un diseño cuantitativo no experimental, tipo transeccional descriptivo. …

College Preparedness. Narratives Of Transitions From High School To College., Chelsey Luann Vincent

Theses and Dissertations

Despite many theories on student success as well as many resources to help students make the transition from high school to college, many students do not persist in or graduate from college. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide insight into what takes place when students leave P-12 institutions and enter institutions of higher education by using focused narrative inquiry. This study took place at a large research university in the south. The study included 4 participants at various parts of their transition journey. Participants in the study responded to written prompts. Follow up interviews were conducted, and a …

How Students Learn: Examining The Differences In Learning Strategies Between Flight And Nonflight Students, Jennifer A. Torres

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in learning strategies between undergraduate flight and nonflight students attending a 4-year university that offered a Part 141 flight training program. Learning strategies were measured using Panadero et al.’s (2021) 30-item Deep Learning Strategies Questionnaire and its four subscales—Basic Learning Self-Regulation Strategies, Visual Elaboration and Summarizing Strategies, Deep Information Processing Strategies, and Social Learning Self-Regulation Strategies—all of which were the dependent variables. The primary independent variable was group membership, but the study also incorporated two covariates—self-efficacy and intrinsic value—which were measured using the respective subscales of Pintrich …

Benefits And Challenges Of Computer-Assisted L2 Chinese Learning In Higher Education, Min Hu

Theses and Dissertations

The first article is a literature review that analyzed 32 articles on computer-assisted L2 Chinese learning in higher education from 2005-2021. Findings revealed current trends, such as mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) and the use of Web 2.0 technologies, and the importance of speaking as the most researched language skill. Most studies employed mixed methods and showed the positive effects of computer-assisted learning on L2 Chinese skills. Challenges identified included limited access to technology, technical difficulties, lack of time and support, and insufficient online/blended pedagogies and competencies. The second article used Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior to examine L2 Chinese instructors' …

“Who Will Guard The Guards Themselves ”: A Phenomenological Discourse Analysis On How Whiteness And White Supremacy Are Upheld By White Hearing Officers On Community College Campuses, Amanda Jane Mesirow

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how whiteness and white supremacy are upheld by white hearing officers on community college campuses. The literature shows that racial bias exists in K-12 discipline systems, that no reporting mandates on demographics exist in higher education conduct, and that community colleges often serve minoritized students. Therefore, the problem statement centers on the connection between community colleges conduct systems and whiteness/white supremacy.Data was collected via interviews with three community college conduct practitioners, as well as a review of documents from their institutions’ conduct offices. The study’s research methods were phenomenological discourse analysis and …

The Hero Within: Developing The Psychological Capital Of First-Generation Students, Mary Elizabeth Sewell

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological capital (PsyCap) is a higher-order construct comprised of four psychological resources: hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism (HERO), and has been linked to academic achievement and engagement (Hazan Liran & Miller, 2019; Luthans, et al., 2012). Interventions designed to build PsyCap may be particularly helpful for firstgeneration (FG) students who face additional challenges in higher education. This study aimed to: (1) explore differences in PsyCap among FG and continuing generation (CG) students; (2) investigate relationships between PsyCap, GPA, and persistence; and (3) examine the impact of a 2-hour PsyCap micro-intervention (PCI) on FG students’ academic PsyCap, academic achievement (GPA), and …

Latter-Day Saint Women And Leadership In Higher Education: An Intrinsic Case Study, Elizabeth J. Darger

Theses and Dissertations

There are few women in the highest levels of leadership in most industries, including higher education. This intrinsic case study provides insight into the leadership journeys of 15 female leaders at Brigham Young University, which is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Four prevalent themes emerged about their leadership journeys. First, a leadership role was not part of the participant's life plan. The remaining three themes related to acceptance of a leadership role. Participants reported feeling nudged to consider a leadership role, feeling a sense of relational responsibility in accepting a leadership role, and receiving a …

Racial Differences And Lived Experiences: Civil Rights Experiences And A Private, Religious, Predominantly White Institution, Anthony Brandon Bates

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This article explores the expressed thoughts and feelings of 24 research participants who processed and articulated their lived experiences. They each attended the same private, religious, historically, and predominantly White institution and participated in a three-credit course that covered the history of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and '60s, which culminated in an experience in Georgia and Alabama (Civil Rights experience). Methods: In this phenomenological study, the research participants all participated in a semi-structured interview with the same bank of questions. The questions were designed to examine their lived experiences, within the context of participating in the …

Accessibility Of Blended Learning For Special Needs Students In Higher Education, Reem Yaseen Al-Sulaimani

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the experiences of visually impaired students and their faculty members with blended learning at University X. Qualitative research methods were employed to gather data through interviews with six visually impaired students and six professors. The study analyzed the data using two frameworks, Universal Design of Learning (UDL) and Community of Inquiry (CoI). The findings indicate that the course design, personalization of accessibility, social inclusion and classroom dynamics, university support and resources, and technology accessibility and digital literacy have an impact on the experiences of visually impaired students and their professors. The study provides recommendations for improving the …

Perceptions Of The Culinary Art Community On Their Higher Education Programs In Egypt: The Way Forward, Kadria Ali Abdel Motaal

Theses and Dissertations

Culinary art education used to have a narrow focus that forgoes its richness and ignores its infiltration into economic, political, and cultural aspects within society. Recently the world witnessed an evolution in this field of study as it reached tertiary education institutions. However, in Egypt, culinary art studies are integrated into hospitality education and are still confined to a shallow concept. This study aimed to explore the perception of the culinary art community in Egypt on their higher education programs from a sociocultural perspective. It also explored the possible new frameworks, and core competencies to improve culinary arts higher education …

Modest Aspirations: Day Dreams, Frivolity, And Digital Lives Of Public College Girls In Lahore, Pakistan, Anam Khan

Theses and Dissertations

This project was conceived out of a policy announcement in 2016 where the Higher Education Commission Pakistan announced that the two-year colleges were to be phased out and eventually eliminated. In doing so, the notice suggested that they will be replaced by programs modeled around the United States community college and called Associate Degrees. This ongoing development formed the basis of my research as for many gender and class minorities, these programs are the only option for post-secondary education in a country where many do not have the privilege to go to college. I aimed to analyze the kind of …

A Lifelong Network: Perceptions And Experiences Of First-Generation Alums After Graduation, Allison Toney

Theses and Dissertations

As first-generation students transition to college graduates, the question lies in whether institutions of higher education are continuing to provide opportunities for them as alums. As a result of first-generation college students being the first in their family to attend college, students may enter college not knowing what to expect. But institutions have evolved to provide services, resources and opportunities that support their success while enrolled. Upon graduation, the process of transitioning out of college can be a challenging time for students as they seek post-graduation success. Some institutions offer support and resources tailored specifically to first-generation graduates or graduates …

Evaluación De Las Competencias Digital Y Emprendedora En Estudiantes De Una Universidad Colombiana, Luis Eduardo Buitrago Rojas

Theses and Dissertations

La presente investigación tiene por nombre la Evaluación de las Competencias Digital y Emprendedora en Estudiantes de una Universidad Colombiana, el investigador Luis Eduardo Buitrago Rojas realizó la presente investigación en el año 2023 Disertación Aplicada, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Palabras clave: competencias digitales, competencias emprendedoras, estudiantes universitarios, educación superior Este estudio evaluó las competencias digital y emprendedora de estudiantes universitarios en un programa transversal en una universidad colombiana. El objetivo de la investigación fue identificar el nivel de competencias digitales y emprendedoras de los estudiantes. El estudio utilizó dos …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Instructors Establishing Teaching Presence In Online Higher Education Programs In Jamaica, Venesse Morrison-Leon

Theses and Dissertations

Online programs are growing exponentially; the structure, program design, and instructional strategies used determine learner success and the viability of online programs. Instructors are expected to demonstrate competence as online facilitators, creating an educational experience that meets the demands of 21st-century teaching and learning. In turn, learners are expected to demonstrate readiness for learning. The community of inquiry (CoI) model was used as the framework to understand the phenomenon of establishing teaching presence and the implications in improving learner success.

There is a paradigm shift in teaching and learning online, and many universities and colleges see this as an opportunity …

Perceptions Of College/University Students On High School Science And Stem Courses, Brian Park

Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, the evolution of science along with technology, engineering, and mathematics has been noticeably evident while science education, on the other hand, has shown little development. The research study aimed to investigate future change initiative implementation in secondary science curricula. In addition, the purpose of the research was to learn and examine postsecondary students' perceptions of how well secondary science education prepared them for the postsecondary level plus for schools to utilize the feedback received from students to further improve the quality of science education. The data for the study were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 college/university …

Exploring The Role Of Institutional Culture In Student Affairs Assessment Practitioners’ Experiences Implementing Equity-Centered Assessment, Jaime L. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Student affairs assessment is a field in higher education that emphasizes the measurement of effectiveness and student learning in student serving programs that take place outside of the classroom. Outcomes-based assessment is the basis of most assessment practices in student affairs, and focuses on the continuous improvement of out-of-classroom programs, services, and student learning. Many assessment practices stem from traditional research methods, which have been developed by people who hold mostly majority identities. These methods were not created with the rapidly changing demographics of today’s college-going students in mind. To help address the increasing diversity of college students and the …

Community On Campus: Examining The Impact Of Campus Climate, Belonging, And Flourishing On Bystander Behavior Among Diverse University Students, Amelia Liadis

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory, nonexperimental study aimed to investigate the relationships among diverse undergraduate and graduate students’ perceived campus climate, flourishing, and university belonging on bystander intentions and bystander behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study’s theoretical framework combined the Theory of Planned Behavior and feminist theory, and examined intersectionality through an Identity Risk Index. Data used in the current study were originally collected as part of an institutional Healthy Minds Survey, on health behaviors of college students; responses from n = 171 of the randomly selected participants were used in the current study’s analyses. The majority of participants indicated at least …

An Examination Of Student’S Motivation To Learn In Higher Education: A Study Of Contributing Factors To Undergraduate Students’ Motivation, Aida Jafari

Theses and Dissertations

Motivation is a complicated concept and difficult to measure and study; nevertheless, it is a substantial factor in students’ performance that demands extra attention. Instructors across all grade levels and disciplines struggle to cultivate classroom environments that focus on student interactions and promote interest where high-quality work is produced (Middleton & Perks, 2014). Educators have been searching for new strategies to improve instruction and student learning, and they keep looking for new ways to increase student motivation (Middleton & Perks, 2014). Moreover, practical knowledge in the classroom depends on the instructor’s ability to stimulate the interest and motivation that brought …

Critical (Re)Approach To Higher Education Admission Policy: The Impact Of Open Enrollment Policy Implementation, Shirdonna Yvonne Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

Federal and state policies affecting higher education, like the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1832, Brown vs. Board of Education, and Higher Education Act of 1965 have posited change regarding the proliferation of diversity and expansion of access (Thelin, 2011).

I analyzed BOT policies for enrollment and conducted a socio-diagnostic CDA on the implementation of admission policy to understand the impact of the policies’ implementation. I focused on 1) exploring how open enrollment (OE) policies were constructed, 2) how institutions adopt and interpret these policies, and 3) how individuals at the institution enact these policies, by conducting a discourse-historical analysis …

The Effects Of Professional Experience On Ethical Profiles Of Housing And Residence Life Staff, Sirena L. Cantrell, Sirena L. Cantrell

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this study was to explore and understand the effects of professional experience on the ethical profiles of housing and residence life staff. Through a survey design, this study used the Managerial Ethical Profile (MEP) to analyze the professional experience of members of the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I). The MEP scale measures the range of influences on respondents and describes the major tendencies by placing respondents in ethical profiles. Results from this study indicated that professional experience does influence respondent ethical profiles. This study contributes to the field of higher education by …

How Universities Use Twitter To Communicate About Mental Health, Sarah Elizabeth Polhill

Theses and Dissertations

From a sample of over three million tweets from universities in the US, we described the characteristics of universities' communication about mental health on Twitter, including common keywords, bigrams, linked resources, and hashtags, as well as the frequency of dialogic communication and mental health tweets over time, especially in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This study uses data mining to collect tweets from official university Twitter accounts and selected accounts of university wellness and counseling programs. Relevant tweets were collected from a large sample using keywords and bigrams relevant to mental health from the Twitter accounts of IACS accredited …

Improving Student Success In A Large-Enrollment Introductory Accounting Course, Melissa P. Larson

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation follows a three-article format presentation. The topic addresses improving student success in a large enrollment introductory accounting course. The first article is a literature review of pre-class activities within a flipped classroom setting in higher education. The review of 34 articles identified as relevant to the literature review explored what the literature tells us about pre-class learning activities and synthesized what instructors can do to design pre-class activities that encourage students' preparation for class. The review showed the importance of pre-class learning in a flipped classroom and that more research is needed to better understand students' behaviors and …

Thriving In College: The Contribution Of Career Services To Student Success, Jodi M. Chowen

Theses and Dissertations

Career services in higher education has a long history of supporting student development and post-graduation success (American Council on Education, 1937; Rayman, 1999; Dey & Cruzvergara, 2014). However, there is a dearth of research identifying specific connections between engagement with career services and student success. College student thriving has been established in previous studies as positively contributing to traditional measures of college student success, including intention to persist, grade point average, institutional fit and satisfaction, and self-reported learning gains (Schreiner, 2013). Examining the relationship of student experience with career services and thriving provides a new way to evaluate the contribution …