Digital Commons Network^™

Persistence Of Female Faculty In Stem, Andrea Constantinou

Dissertations

The lack of women entering certain STEM fields impacts female representation in research faculty, teacher faculty, and leadership positions in higher education. Through a narrative inquiry methodology utilizing the theoretical paradigms of self-determination theory and relational autonomy, this study extended understanding of the factors that motivate persistence for women in certain STEM fields. While prior research focused on understanding the barriers to retention, this study sought to identify the factors motivating retention for women in certain STEM fields. The results of this study contribute to understanding the motivating factors that influence a woman’s persistence in STEM. The data gathered from …

Faculty Learning Community: Advancing Faculty Academic Advising Pedagogy, Linda Jean Raynard

Culminating Experience Projects

Within higher educational institutions faculty may serve in a faculty advising role. The quality of faculty advising conversations can impact student’s sense of mattering and support to campus leadership, community, and beyond. Faculty, however, have competing priorities and a lack of pathological training that has prevented them from investing deeper in advising practices. Students may then miss important opportunities to initially connect with campus leaders about their curricular and co-curricular development. To better operationalize academic advising practices for faculty to use in their everyday student conversations, a faculty learning community is suggested to aid. The Faculty Learning Community: Advancing Faculty …

Understanding Universal Design For Learning Implementation: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Higher Education Faculty And Instructional Designers, Breanne A. Kirsch

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Faculty face a rising challenge in supporting diverse student populations on campuses (Bastedo et al., 2013). Inclusive pedagogy, facilitated by UDL, helps alleviate learning barriers for diverse student groups (Basham & Blackorby, 2021). However, the ambiguous operational definition of UDL poses practical challenges in implementation and assessment (Diedrich, 2021), especially when it is described variably as a practice, framework, or intervention in the literature (Basham & Blackorby, 2021). This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores the meaning faculty and instructional designers ascribe to the experience of implementing UDL in higher education.

The main question is: what is the meaning that faculty and …

Mentorship Within Developmental Networks: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Women Tenured Associate Professors And Their Path Toward Full Professor, Jenifer F. Godfrey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The problem of inadequate representation of Black women in tenure track faculty positions is both pronounced and longstanding. With Black women making up less than 2% of full professors, this is particularly true at institutions categorized as R1 – Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity by The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. College faculty have long been the focus of scholarly research. However, studies focused on mentorship to be promoted to full professor for associate professors generally, and Black women associate professors specifically, are lacking. Using a conceptual framework that defined mentorship broadly as developmental networks and …

Experiences Of Undergraduate Nursing Faculty Adapting To The Changes Of The Next Generation Nclex, Marlene Kilpack Whiteside

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Undergraduate nursing faculty are responsible for preparing nursing students for patient care in a dynamic health care setting and are challenged with meeting the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) change to the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN). The National Council of State Boards of Nursing recommended the incorporation of the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (CJMM) and competency-based curriculum in preparation for NGN testing that began in 2023. Understanding how faculty experienced and adapted to changes in curriculum, patient-centered instruction, and NGN testing may help future nurse faculty in adapting. The purpose of this basic exploratory, qualitative study guided by the achievement …

A Holistic Approach To Creating Cultures Of Quality Excellence Within Higher Education Institutions In North Carolina, Natalie Aman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper first seeks to identify cultural factors of faculty, staff, and students within Higher Education Intuitions (HEI) and then understand how those factors affect the individual as well as the overall larger population of all studied groups to create cultures of quality excellence. Secondary data collected from government databases was used for the research. The independent variables included cultural factors for each stakeholder and the dependent variables included satisfaction levels of each stakeholder. Faculty and staff independent cultural variables included Performance Management, Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness, Communication & Collaboration, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, and Mission and Pride. The dependent variable …

Transformational Leadership Approach For Encouraging Historically Marginalized Communities To Access Admission To Naturopathic Medicine, Baljit Khamba

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Many healthcare training institutions lack cultural diversity, including naturopathic medicine. One potential reason is a lack of historically marginalized individuals applying to these medical schools. Attracting communities of colour to healthcare professions, like naturopathic medicine is important for improving healthcare access and delivery across all individuals within North America. This OIP explores the lack of diversity in applicants to the naturopathic medical program at a large multi-centre institution. The role that education and mentorship of faculty members can play to improve implicit biases and eventually encourage historically marginalized individuals to apply to the program is explored. Moreover, the OIP presents …

Understanding Faculty Use Of Learning Management Systems In U.S. Higher Education, Minghui Tai

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to understand why and how faculty use a learning management system (LMS) and what demographic factors and barriers influence faculty LMS use in U.S. higher education. Nearly 98.1% of higher education institutions in the United States have invested in at least one LMS to facilitate student learning and faculty teaching (LMS Data, 2023). However, there have been a limited number of studies exploring factors that influence U.S. faculty use of LMS. Faculty (n=191) across the United States responded to an online survey answering open-ended, and Likert-scale questions about LMS use, as well …

Science Attitudes Of Students Enrolled In An Introductory Environmental Science Course, Rajan Brar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines attitudes towards science for 198 students enrolled in an introductory university environmental science course. Conceptual frameworks include the theory of planned behaviour and the tripart model of attitudes to assess science attitudes. A quantitative research design, using secondary data, is used to address this purpose. Within this study, Enjoyment of Science and Science Anxiety factors of attitudes towards science, components of the affective domain of attitude are compared to student gender, faculty, and academic year using a modified mATSI:2 questionnaire. It is found that faculty displays the most significant association with science attitudes, with students from science …

Mental Health Education In Higher Education, Chelsea J. Farley

Culminating Experience Projects

This project dives into the current mental health status of college students and what institutions are doing to address students steady and continuous decline of mental health. Mental Health 101: A Comprehensive Guide for Faculty incorporates suggestions from literature and theory to provide resources to faculty members when educating students. Mental Health 101 was created with the social-ecological model in mind (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) by connecting the individual student to their environment, or in this case, the college classroom. The guide consists of information about mental health such as risk factors and warning signs, coping strategies, activities, and assignments faculty members …

Conceptualization And Perceptions Of Student Preparedness In Quantitative Reasoning Among Introductory Biology Faculty, Ann Cleveland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative reasoning (QR) is a crucial competency as undergraduate biology students complete their academic program and enter a workforce increasingly reliant on analyses of vast and complex data sets. The need to prepare biology majors for the 21^st century workforce was cited in Vision and Change: a Call to Action (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 2011). The Vision and Change document also advocated for curriculum reform to incorporate QR instruction in undergraduate biology programs. Biology education researchers answered this call with a wealth of research examining undergraduate QR competencies, barriers and challenges to QR learning in …

Addressing Bias From Faculty Through Implementing Bias Training, Tori A. Henning

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has indicated that college students experience bias from college faculty on a regular bias. However, there is no mandated training for college faculty on the various forms of bias and the impact that it can have on students’ ability to be successful. While bias influences many students, students of color, women, LGBTQ+ students, and students from of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds experience bias at greater rates than white students. This project explores how the various forms of bias, the training that college faculty receive, student development theory, and how bias impacts students’ success and their sense of belonging …

Learn, Reflect, Practice, Discuss: A Professional Development Pilot For Clinical Nurse Educators, Jessica Savage, Linda Wofford Dr., David Phillippi Dr.

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

AIM: The aim of this project was to assess the effect of a professional development pilot on the self-efficacy among clinical nurse educators toward evaluation and assessment of students in the clinical setting.

BACKGROUND: Nursing schools employ clinical nurse faculty with varied levels of experience and formal education in teaching. Positive student outcomes are dependent on the competency of their nursing faculty, yet best practices to train and support the professional growth of clinical faculty have not yet been identified.

METHOD: A multi-modal professional development pilot including online-learning modules, self-reflection, practice-learning, and peer-mentoring components was designed and implemented with …

When They See Us: The Lived Experiences Of Tenured Black Male Faculty At Research 1 Institutions, Quintavis Marquel Cureton

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous research studies have been conducted on the experiences of Black faculty, faculty of color, and Black female faculty in the academy. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the lived experiences of Black male faculty, especially the lived experiences of tenured Black male faculty at Research 1 (R1) institutions. There remains a dearth of research that examines and amplifies voice to the experiences of tenured Black male faculty. It is essential to understand how Black male faculty have navigated their way through earning the rank of tenure at an R1 institution. This research provides a roadmap for …

The Investigation Of First-Year Wellness Programming In College To Reduce Stress And Anxiety Levels, Charlotte Muriel

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The COVID-19 pandemic brought mental health to light, although college students have long been experiencing mental health struggles. First-year experience courses have been shown to relieve some of the stresses associated with the college transition (Holliday, 2014); however, the existing programming does not meet the needs of college students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the increased need for mental health services and counseling on college campuses, there is a need for additional support for students dealing with wellness concerns.

This action research study used a three-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods design. Phase One included two audio-recorded focus group …

The Wise Professor: The Skillful Art Of Living In God's Mission, Aaron Badenhop

Doctor of Ministry

Today’s Christian professor in the secular university setting is likely an expert in their academic field. Likewise, many Christian faculty are sincere in their faith and devout in their practice. The Christian professor’s expert knowledge is impressive and their heart for God is admirable. Yet, today’s Christian professor is simultaneously likely to be ill-equipped and disconnected from having a missional impact in their secular university context. In my work with Cru at The Ohio State University, this challenge is complex; there are no easy answers. Christian faculty are typically educated and trained in environments that assume the irrelevance of God …

The Perceptions Of Faculty And Instructional Designers Regarding The Impact Of Professional Development To Teach Online Courses, Scott Mitchell January

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leadership at a mid-sized 4-year university in the western region of Texas asserted a problem with the low amount of faculty training impacting online courses’ creation and quality. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to investigate the elements needed to design quality online courses, determine how faculty and instructional designers perceived professional development provided by the university to develop online courses, and find out how faculty and instructional designers perceived professional development impacted faculty skills as an online instructor. Three research questions were created which generated two interview protocols. The following research questions were used and were …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

Comparisons Of Impostor Phenomenon Among Nursing Faculty Across Teaching Levels, Teaching Experience, And Gender, Deborah E. Horvath

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nursing faculty must be effective educators, active nurse researchers, and practicing nurse experts. Feelings of impostor phenomenon (IP), defined as emotions of fraudulence, can lead to faculty deficiencies both as educators and scholars. The purpose of this three-manuscript dissertation, guided by Weiner’s attribution theory, was to determine differences in IP by teaching level, teaching experience, and gender among nursing faculty. A two-tailed t-test was used to analyze data collected from 164 participants who completed the Clance impostor phenomenon scale. Data revealed instructors teaching at the undergraduate level had more feelings of IP than those teaching at the postgraduate and graduate …

Comparison Of Cultural Self-Efficacy Between Urban And Rural Nurse Educators, Denise Rene Morris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Integration of an inclusive educational environment requires nursing faculty to embrace a transformational change in academics. The cultural interactions of an educator teaching in an urban district may differ from the relations experienced by a rural nurse educator. The purpose of this quantitative study, guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory, was to determine whether there is a difference between the cultural self-efficacy scores of nurse faculty teaching in a rural location compared to those in an urban location as well as whether the demographics of age, ethnic background, and years in the nursing profession predict cultural self-efficacy scores. Nursing faculty …

Nurses’ Perception Of Facilitators And Barriers To The Community College Faculty Role, Hallie Roselie Coppi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an increased nursing faculty shortage throughout the United States (U.S.) which can have a significant impact on student enrollment in nursing programs. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study, which was guided by Herzberg’s two-factor theory, was to explore perceptions of nursing faculty about their role in community college associate degree nursing (ADN) programs in the western U.S. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 nurse educators to gain insights regarding experiences with role transition, work expectations, and plans in academia. Transcribed interview data were thematically analyzed to reveal seven overarching themes which were motivation, role …

Comparison Of Cultural Self-Efficacy Between Urban And Rural Nurse Educators, Denise Rene Morris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Integration of an inclusive educational environment requires nursing faculty to embrace a transformational change in academics. The cultural interactions of an educator teaching in an urban district may differ from the relations experienced by a rural nurse educator. The purpose of this quantitative study, guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory, was to determine whether there is a difference between the cultural self-efficacy scores of nurse faculty teaching in a rural location compared to those in an urban location as well as whether the demographics of age, ethnic background, and years in the nursing profession predict cultural self-efficacy scores. Nursing faculty …

Faculty-Student And Student-Student Connections Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Fatma Ouled Salem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic expedited the shift toward distance education by forcing institutions to adapt to the limitations of social distancing mandates. This resulted in a general sense of disconnection and isolation, compounding the other adverse effects of the pandemic. Since faculty-student and student-student connections are consistently identified as best practices in distance counselor education, the aim of this descriptive phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of counselor educators during the COVID-19 pandemic relating to faculty-student and student-student connections. A phenomenological framework was used to suspend presuppositions of the phenomenon and to describe the lived experiences of participants. In-depth …

Nurses’ Perception Of Facilitators And Barriers To The Community College Faculty Role, Hallie Roselie Coppi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an increased nursing faculty shortage throughout the United States (U.S.) which can have a significant impact on student enrollment in nursing programs. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study, which was guided by Herzberg’s two-factor theory, was to explore perceptions of nursing faculty about their role in community college associate degree nursing (ADN) programs in the western U.S. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 nurse educators to gain insights regarding experiences with role transition, work expectations, and plans in academia. Transcribed interview data were thematically analyzed to reveal seven overarching themes which were motivation, role …

Disconnected, Frustrated And Withdrawn: Institutional Policy Implications For Equity In Student And Faculty Community, Jessica Marie Welsh

Dissertations and Theses

DFW rates at intuitions of higher education for students from underrepresented populations trended higher than majority students. A single explanatory case study provides insight to the factors impacting DFW rates in first-year gateway courses at a four-year, public, comprehensive institution. The study employed the use of focus groups of students, non-tenure-track faculty, and tenure-track faculty. In addition, institutional data was collected and used to triangulate to the data collected from focus groups. The inductive results showed multiple institutional barriers causing DFW rates among first-generation, Pell Grant, and/or students of color. Using Turner and Angulo’s (2018) theoretical framework of high-risk decision-making …

University Faculty Perceptions Of Mandatory Online Training As Related To Training Self-Efficacy, Motivation, And Utility, Tori Austin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Organizations spend millions of dollars training employees in ways to improve their skills –recently through mandatory professional development delivered virtually or through online asynchronous platforms. This research investigated how social exchange theory and self-efficacy theory inform faculty participants’ motivation to transfer such knowledge and skills from mandatory online trainings into their workplace practices. Faculty who had attended mandatory online training were asked to complete a 25-item survey about their motivation to transfer information from the training into their workplace practice as well as their perceived utility of training and their training self-efficacy. This study examined the extent to which motivation …

The Perceived Results Of Feedback And Evaluation Of Teaching Effectiveness On Adjunct Faculty Professional Development And Growth, Luda V. Vine

Dissertations

Problem

While full-time faculty at any institution of higher learning undergo an established system of evaluation of teaching effectiveness, adjunct faculty members' experience varies greatly from institution to institution. There is little in the relevant academic literature about an effective feedback mechanism for evaluating teaching effectiveness among adjunct faculty members. Limited qualitative research has been done to understand the effects of teaching evaluations on the professional development and growth of individual adjunct faculty members. Developing an understanding of effective evaluation of teaching that will result in improved adjunct faculty professional development and growth will impact not only the faculty members' …

Community College Faculty Perceptions Of Open Educational Resources, Heather Ann Leavitt

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined Open Educational Resources (OER) through a community college faculty perspective. Specifically, this study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of faculty motivations surrounding OER, faculty perceptions of OER’s influences on students, and pedagogical changes that faculty have made in response to OER. A qualitative research methodology was chosen, including semi-structured phenomenological interviews conducted with community college faculty members. The methodology was guided by activity theory. Faculty discussed their use of the 5 Rs (retain, reuse, revise, remix, redistribute) in practice, with revise being the most commonly used of the 5 Rs. Notably, the eight participants had mixed …

Implementation Of The Capstone Focus Area Selection Tool During An Education-Based Capstone Experience, Kayla Cobos

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.