Digital Commons Network^™

Reluctance Toward Online Teaching, Sally Dufner

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

Online education has become a staple in the American higher education system. A shortage of qualified and motivated online instructors exists as online learning demand increases. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify why faculty members are not motivated to teach online courses. This study sought to answer the following three questions: (1) Why are faculty members not participating in online instruction? (2) What incentives, if any, are likely to motivate non-participating instructors to adopt online instruction? and (3) What are the differences in perceptions regarding online instruction between faculty members who had been asked or had an …

Suicide Among Emergency Responders In Minnesota: The Role Of Education, Chris Caulkins

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

The primary purpose of this quantitative study is to understand suicide among emergency responders. The secondary purpose is to examine how educators can use information about suicide among emergency responders to develop and adapt curriculum to mitigate psychological trauma experienced by those in emergency medical services (EMS), the fire service, and law enforcement. I use social cognitive theory to investigate responder suicide and as a framework to understand the role of education. Official death records were cross-referenced with data possessed by responder credentialing agencies. I analyzed the records to determine the suicide rates of responders compared to the general population …

Measuring Employee Perceptions Of A Learning Organization During Strategic Change, Kasey Uran-Linde

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

The landscape of higher education is shifting yet many institutions fail to adequately adapt to the changes. This divide has put many institutions of higher education in a precarious situation and, for some, at risk of closing operations all together. With all the research indicating the benefits of a post-secondary degree, it is vital that institutions become more nimble to adapt to the changing environment. Using the framework of a Learning Organization and the Dimensions of a Learning Organization Questionnaire, this case study evaluates how one institution aligns with learning organization characteristics that can help the institution better adapt to …

An Examination Of Leader-Member Exchange And Job Embeddedness Of High Performing Development Officers In Higher Education, Nicholas Linde

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

Private giving to higher education has increased every year since 2010 and the need for private support has been steadily increasing as cuts to state appropriations have become the norm. Increasing tuition has become highly scrutinized and higher education institutions are favoring private support to solve the gap in funding. The average tenure for a development officer stays in their job is roughly 16 months. Development positions are becoming more crucial for the financial success of a higher education institution and keeping talented development personnel is an increasingly important challenge.

In this study, high performing development officers from around the …

Building The Case For Succession Planning In Higher Education: A Study Of Succession Planning Pilots Within The Minnesota State Colleges And Universities System, Kristina Keller

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

This qualitative research study examines the role of succession planning in five two-year colleges in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU). The role of succession planning to help prepare colleges for the leadership crisis is examined by exploring the participation of these colleges in a system pilot program. Succession planning, commonly used in business and private sector, remains a new concept in higher education. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study will be to identify the challenges that prevent campuses from succession planning, tie leadership pipeline issues and their resolution to succession planning practices, and provide recommendations on …

An Interpretive Phenomenological Study Of How Rn To Bs Students Experience And Make Meaning Of Participating In A Poverty Simulation, Carrie Mcnamer

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

The purpose of this research was to explore the lived experience of nursing students as they participated in, and reflected upon, a poverty simulation using the techniques of interpretive phenomenology. Eight registered nurses enrolled in a bachelor’s degree completion program were interviewed about their experience including the ways they made meaning of new information and whether or not it influenced their perspective on providing culturally competent patient care. The theoretical framework consisted of the constructivist learning theory and Campinha-Bacote’s Development of Cultural Competence in Healthcare theory. Data were analyzed according to van Manen’s six steps to guide phenomenological research. Three …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Former Mn State Community College Nursing Directors And Deans: Working Together To Identify The Challenges To Inform Solutions, Misun Bormann

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

Turnover in academic leadership of nursing programs in our community colleges is a national problem. This qualitative study explored and documented the stories of six female practical nursing and associate degree nursing program directors and deans in the MN State college system, who voluntarily left their positions. This study looked to amplify their voices to help inform a solution to address the turnover problem. The feminist theoretical framework with the Job Characteristics Theory model were used to understand how job characteristics influenced job outcomes for female nursing directors and deans, and how their lived-in experiences effected work motivation, performance outcomes, …