Digital Commons Network^™

An Exploratory Case Study Of A Quality Assurance Process At An Ontario University, Grase Kim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Currently, quality assurance is a widespread global practice in higher education. This exploratory case study at one Ontario university uses a Foucauldian-informed post-structuralist discourse analysis to interrogate the definition of ‘quality’ as it relates to quality assurance. More specifically, this study hopes to raise an awareness that what constitutes quality is taken for granted in quality assurance practices for universities. From an examination of resource documents and interviews with faculty administrators (n=12), the key findings of this study expose an over-arching neoliberal discursive framing of quality and quality assurance. The marketization of higher education leads to an over-emphasis on procedural …

Skills And Student Affairs: A Discourse Analysis, Shannon Mckechnie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Media, industry, and other public actors have claimed that a ‘skills gap’ exists in students exiting post-secondary education and entering the workforce. The Ontario provincial government has developed policy, the Highly Skilled Workforce Strategy, to provide directives to universities in the province to provide skills development to students to aid in closing the gap and providing a workplace relevant education. In this study, I explore the experiences of student affairs and services (SAS) staff responsible for enacting provincial policy related to skills development at the university level by investigating the discourses that shape policy and practices of these staff …

Creative ‘Class’: Leading Innovation With Digital Pedagogy In Cultural And Creative Industry (Cci) Programs, Dana Morningstar

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Leaders of cultural and creative programs (CCIs) in Ontario community colleges are key to realizing potential in higher education related to digital pedagogy, creativity, industry partnerships, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), the role of an academic leadership group is considered from Ontario-centric creative industry and innovation policies and college processes. The problem of practice is the gap of harmonized leadership strategy between higher education classroom practices and regional and provincial overarching educational strategy to increase innovation through digital pedagogy. Colleges have collective capacities in innovating with digital pedagogy in creative industry programs and providing graduates with …

Doctoral Student Career Preparation: An Institutional Response, Kimberly Miller

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines the issue of institutional support for doctoral students in preparing for careers inside and outside the academy. While discussions about the purpose of the doctorate are not new, the conversation about preparing PhDs for diverse careers is an emergent one, occupying space inside and outside academic circles. At the heart of the conversation is a debate about the purpose of the doctorate and the institution’s role in employability beyond the professoriate. The traditional academic culture at the institution adheres closely to the notion that the PhD is solely preparation for an academic career. This …

Educational Partnerships In Mennonite Communities, Paul Bennett

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The purpose of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is to increase the number of Mennonite students who register in a school division located in western Canada by creating a social justice perspective for Mennonite students amongst divisional staff.

By accepting the challenge of this OIP the school division will seek to better understand the cultural and religious needs of the various Mennonite groups living within the division’s catchment area. Hopefully, schools can make changes to policies, practices, and structures resulting in increasing numbers of Mennonite families feeling comfortable registering their children in the division’s schools. School board trustees and school …

How Can The Marginalization Of Girls Be Reduced In A Provincial Primary Rural School In A Developing Country In Asia?, Muhammad Kashif Memon

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

As pressure grows on developing nations to implement United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), marginalization of girls in education is increasingly becoming a socioeconomic concern to the overall development of these countries. Considering the challenges faced by girls in acquiring education in rural areas of developing nations, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines a sensitive yet significant problem of practice (PoP): How can the marginalization of girls be reduced in a provincial primary rural school in a developing country in Asia (Country A)? The OIP examines various perspectives surrounding marginalization of girls, gaining insight into how external and internal forces …

Cultural Proficiency For Indigenous Student Success, Karen Penney

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is directed toward leveraging the position of the school principal toward changing hegemonic practices within a small rural school division that includes practices of meritocracy (hard work equals success) and color-blindness (refusing to see color in others) . These practices affect the academic achievement of the off-reserve Indigenous student- considered a provincial student by virtue of moving off reserve- thus receiving education from the provincial rather than federal, government. These students bring strong epistemologies and ontologies that are not currently acknowledged or employed by the dominant society and should be explored to determine how best …

Institutionalizing Community Engaged Scholarship At A Research University, Stephanie Hayne Beatty

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Higher education institutions are increasingly investing in community-university partnerships as a mechanism for strengthening relationships with the local community, expanding experiential learning (EL) opportunities for students, and supporting faculty in community engaged scholarship (CES). This organizational improvement plan (OIP) examines how a research-focused university can institutionalize CES so that faculty members feel supported and rewarded for their efforts to link teaching and research to community priorities. Using both transformational and distributed leadership approaches, as well as Kotter’s (1996) change model, in combination with Norris-Tirrell, Lambert-Pennington, and Hyland’s (2010) social movement model, the proposed change plan focuses on organizational structure, and …

An Organizational Improvement Plan: Implementing Service Learning Into The Curriculum At An International School To Meet An Organization’S Strategic Aims, Deanna Milne

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The problem of practice for this OIP is that School X set strategic aims in 2013, and in 2018, two have still not been met. These aims included opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, and provide a learning-based approach to service. School X has a structure in place that offers the opportunity to build on an existing service-learning program, and further integrate service learning into the curriculum. This OIP uses the Change Path Model to propose structural changes within the organization. It utilises inclusive and democratic approaches to leading change that highlight two-way dialogue (Ryan, 2016, as cited in …

How Do Program Recruiters At One Ontario University Interpret The Internationalization Strategic Plan?, Jing Qu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines how program recruiters interpret a university’s internationalization strategic plan in Ontario, and how they translate this policy initiative into Chinese international students’ recruiting at the graduate level. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the processes related to the internationalization of higher education in Canada, this study explores recruitment as one key aspect of the university’s internationalization efforts. A qualitative research approach was used in designing this study. The data was gathered from three Ontario universities’ internationalization policy initiatives and semi-structured interviews with recruiters from a research-intensive university in Ontario. The findings demonstrate significant implications for …

Creating Shared Vision Among Faculty To Enhance Student Learning, Eleanor Barbour-Stevenson

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Canadian universities are expected to have policies to ensure program quality (Universities Canada, n.d.). To augment the existing institutional quality assurance practices, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) suggests that the creation of a shared vision among faculty will enhance the learning outcomes achieved by students in a bachelor of education program. The integrity of the program has been challenged by various factors including the multi-site delivery model, the organizational culture, and the fusing of culturally distinct pedagogical approaches. To create a shared vision, a collaborative approach will be used. Faculty will work collegially to develop a shared vision and to …

Continuity And Care: Strategies To Affect Factors Of Teacher Retention And Wellbeing In An International School Setting, Annalice Hayes

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) critically analyzes how to create and foster the type of positive organizational culture where new international teachers can thrive in an international school setting. Through teacher and school wide surveys, one-on-one conversations and teacher feedback forms from this organization, data indicates that educators who have moved to teach abroad face obstacles and can struggle to manage their teaching loads while undergoing the mental and emotional stress associated with adjusting to a new home and culture. The proposed plan will focus on organizational culture, defined as the normative values, behaviors and assumptions that are shared by …

A Systems Approach To Increasing Awareness And Coordination Of Student Retention And Completion At A Canadian College, Peter A. Mal

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

As competition for students and scarce resources increases due to political and economic pressures, awareness and coordination of student retention and completion become a critical priority for post-secondary institutions. However, despite increased attention on Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) (Black, 2010; Gottheil & Smith, 2011; Hossler & Bontrager, 2015; Wilkinson et al., 2007) and the growth of retention-focused student services in recent years, retention rates remain unchanged (Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012). Post-secondary students are in the midst of a significant transition period (Tinto, 1993) and face challenges related to mental health and wellness, relationships, rigors of academic life, and personal …

Addressing First-Year Retention Through Servant Leadership Guided Change At An Eastern Canadian University, David Decker

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Higher education institutions have long sought to understand and address the attrition of first-year students. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) addresses the high attrition rates for first-year students at a small university campus located in Eastern Canada. Situated within a multicampus university and in a part of the country experiencing declines in university-aged demographics, the campus faces challenges in both student recruitment and retention. The focus of this paper is on improving retention. This OIP begins by unpacking the political, economic, social, technological, and environmental factors that influence the campus as a way forward in analyzing the poor retention rates …

Encouraging Diverse Instructional Practices Through Teacher Self-Reflection, Brenda Montgomery

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In the school that is the focus of this Organizational Improvement Plan instructional strategies tend to be traditional, teacher-centred lectures followed by paper-based tests or essay assessments. The school has no formal teacher evaluation or growth plan. The goal of this OIP is to help teachers develop more diverse instructional methodologies through a process of self-reflection. This self-reflection will be facilitated through four instruments (self-evaluation rubrics, goal-setting, student-evaluations, and professional learning communities) that will be modified for our environment by a Development Committee chaired by the VP for Academics. Transformational and instructional leadership approaches will be used as the plan …

Leadership, Teacher Learning, And Assessment: A Strategic Approach To Improving Writing Achievement, Tommi Hoogsteen

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In an era with increasing accountability and pressures to increase student achievement across all levels, school-based leaders need support in bringing about such changes. The problem of practice addressed in the organizational improvement plan is stated as: A document known as Saskatchewan Reads for Administrators exists to support leadership for best practice in reading in elementary school. No such document exists for writing. The problem of practice under investigation is the need for a strategic approach to support school leaders in improving student achievement levels in writing. Attempting to address this gap in a comprehensive fashion and using a strategic …

Student Perceptions Of The Context Of Mass Higher Education, Caitlin Burd

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Universities across North America are experiencing the process of massification, which involves an increasing proportion of the population engaging in higher education. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of how students perceive the current context of university, their place within this environment, and whether they see factors associated with massification as impacting student well-being. This study employs in-depth, semi-structured interviews with second and third-year students at a large Canadian university. Findings indicate that students recognize factors associated with massification, such as their own disengagement, and view the university as responsible for some of their experiences in …

Aligning First-Year Academic Learning Experiences At A Small Liberal Arts University, Robyne Hanley-Dafoe

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

First-year academic experiences in post-secondary education have been widely studied (Pampaka, Williams, & Hutcheson, 2012; Kahu & Nelson, 2018). Rapid expansion of student enrolment has impacted the scope of teaching and learning practices at universities (Zepke, 2018; O’Brien & Iannone, 2017). Much of the focus has been on student success, satisfaction, and retention; however, Brownlee, Walker, Lennox, Exley, and Pearce (2009) suggest that more research on the student learning experience is needed. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) expands on this idea to include pedagogy and course design, as they impact student learning, while exploring institutional identity. Using Bolman and Deal’s …

Organizational Improvement Plan, Jenny Morgan

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Within the constraints of competing ideologies; Indigenous vs Western knowledge, health service leaders committing to embedding cultural safety and humility into health care services for Indigenous peoples, and the broader change of direction laid out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), is the overall need to improve health care services, experiences, and outcomes of Indigenous peoples. This need includes increasing the number of Indigenous peoples working at all levels and disciplines in health, and signifies the organizations responsibility to retain those employees once they enter the system. A mainstream tertiary health care centre located in Western Canada …

A Call To Action: Indigenizing Curriculum Through Adaptive Leadership, Christie Rehmann Pettipas

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Since the release of the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2015, the post-secondary sector has focused their attention on the indigenization of programming and practices with mixed results. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) presents a possible solution to embed Indigenous knowledge and culture in a program offered at a large urban college in Canada.

Both decolonization theory and Schein’s cultural assessment (2017) are used to identify current values and structures that are barriers to the effective integration of Indigenous knowledge in course curriculum and teaching. Utilizing an adaptive leadership framework (Hefeitz, 1994, Northouse, …

Enhancing Team Motivation Through A Period Of Rapid Change, Lisa Ramshaw

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) presents possible leadership approaches and solutions to the enhance team motivation through a period of rapid change. The OIP focuses on a team within an educational training institute, strategically aligned to a large educational organization. The training institute was previously known as the professional learning and development (PLD) department and was situated within the corporate office of the organization. The Governing Board moved the PLD department into a separate business entity, a training institute, with a new commercial vision. The team therefore transitioned from an internal PLD department (cost center) with service-orientation, to an external …

Transitioning Students From Alternative Classes At A Children's Mental Health Agency, Julia Dunlop

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This OIP identifies a need to focus on the process of transitioning children from alternative classes at a children’s mental health agency back to mainstream classes. The agency’s current focus is on providing best practice treatment to clients while they receive services. However, treatment is temporary, as clients must eventually be transitioned back to a mainstream education system. Expanding this focus on treatment to include transitions from services; specifically, from alternative kindergarten classes back to regular classes, will reinforce the recognition of the significance of transitions, and reflection on how to improve this process for clients. The agency’s systemic view …

Improving The Collective Efficacy Of Teachers: Transforming Schools Through Collaborative Learning, Julia A. Manini

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Abstract

Urban secondary schools situated in high-risk neighborhoods experience a myriad of challenges that have the potential to thwart community well-being and student success. School leaders are increasingly aware of the connection between the stressors experienced in such communities, and the effects they have on teacher efficacy and student achievement. The prevalent gap in the goals, standards, and expectations that the administrative team leading this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) seeks to address, and those that currently exist within the school community require attention and a methodology for positive change. It is for this reason, that the school leader recognizes the …

The Implementation Of Problem-Based Learning In Mathematics Through Teacher Capacity Building, Zelaikha Farahmand

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Current instructional approaches to mathematics are not meeting the diverse needs of students in Ontario. In response to steadily declining mathematics performance, the Ontario Ministry of Education released a Renewed Math Strategy geared towards addressing the gap in achievement. The position of mathematics lead teacher was created as part of this strategy. These teacher leaders are expected to devise plans for improvement initiatives relevant to their respective school sites. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores the problem of practice where the mathematics lead teacher wishes to facilitate the implementation of problem-based learning in mathematics at an Ontario elementary school. Problem-based …

In Governance We Trust: Introducing A Comprehensive University Governance Education Program To Improve Institutional Trust, Erika Hegedues

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In recent years, the governing bodies of several universities became the centre of attention for the wrong reason: they were implicated as the cause of institutional-level trust failures, involving senior university executives and chairs of the governing bodies. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores a Problem of Practice (PoP) that revolves around the university community’s lack of trust in the governing bodies of Organization Y due to an organizational-level trust failure. The review committees established after the event determined a deep-seated dissatisfaction of the community with the operations of the governing bodies, and with the culture and leadership of the …

Improving Employees' Experience With The Performance Appraisal Process, Melanie Molnar

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Organizational changes can be successful when approached with an appreciation for an appropriate change management strategy that aligns with the organizational context and the change that is being implemented. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), the performance evaluation process in place at University Y will be looked at and recommendations will be made for improvements. Special attention will be given to the requirements for a successful change management process. An authentic leadership approach is the preferred approach for the purpose of this OIP. Complex Adaptive Systems is a field within Complexity theories and will be used in order to address …

Undergraduate Student Retention: Using Leader Member Exchange As An Organizational Change Driver, Joe Stokes

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

University student retention is one of the most studied enrolment management concepts in academia, with large amounts of theoretical and empirical research that has influenced campuses around the world (Astin, 1993; Habley, Bloom & Robins, 2012; Swail, 2004; Tinto, 1987). Although the considerations surrounding student retention are many and complex, the definition of retention is fairly straightforward. Berger, Ramirez, and Lyons, (2012) defines retention as “the ability of an institution to retain a student from admission through graduation” (p.5). This organizational improvement plan will discuss student retention in the context of a problem of practice at a Canadian university. Specifically, …

Shifting Directions: Conceiving, Implementing, And Navigating The Inherent Complexities Of Student Recruitment Customer/Constituent Relationship Management (Crm) Systems Within Higher Education, Colin Couchman

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

A Constituent (often and typically referenced as Customer) Relationship Management (CRM) system is utilized within organizations whose focus is on customer development and service. A CRM is both an organizational approach involving significant human and system processes, as well as a technological intervention. Typically, CRMs have been implemented within commercial enterprises, specifically those operations with direct contact with customers or consumers, possibly as end–users of products, or even middle–sales operators such as wholesalers and governmental agencies. Over the past number of decades, higher education institutions in Canada have developed strategic and tactical plans to more fully respond to the changing …

Supporting Students At-Risk Through The Re-Engagement Of Staff In Co-Curricular Activities, Leah Eden

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Students enrolled in publicly funded schools in Ontario are representative of diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences. For students representing the most at-risk populations, schools provide supports both within and outside of the classroom which support their development and provide opportunities which would otherwise be inaccessible due to financial or other personal constraints. Many of these opportunities are made possible through the volunteer efforts of school staff. This means however, that the co-curricular activities provided through volunteer efforts are themselves at risk as they are not contractually obligated provisions. During and following contract negotiations, which may result in labour disruptions or …

Organizational Improvement Plan: Improving Core French Teacher Equity Within A French Immersion School, Angelica Farr

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

My Organizational Improvement Plan examines the systemic inequity between the Core French Program and the French Immersion Program in Ontario secondary schools. Leadership, in the form of Principals, can play a significant role in this issue. Principals who prioritize the equitable distribution of resources and professional development in French Immersion settings may positively impact teacher efficacy; however, in Core French settings, Principals’ realm of priorities often lies in other curriculum areas.

Various researchers, such as Lapkin (2003) and Mady (2010), have looked at the systemic inequity between the two French programs. It has been shown that there is a disproportionate …