Education Commons^™

A Comparative Study Analyzing Undergraduate Internship Participation And The Impact On Retention And Timely Degree Completion At A Four-Year, Private, Midwest Institution, Stefani Schuette

Dissertations

Declining enrollments, rising costs and increasing student debt have caused college administrators, potential students, and outside stakeholders to focus on certain student outcomes, including retention and timely degree completion. Colleges and universities are not only collecting data in these two areas, they are searching for strategies, which might have a positive effect. Research has provided a variety of factors, which contribute to retention and timely degree completion. High-impact practices, such as service learning, student faculty research and internships featured several characteristics that may contribute to retention and timely degree completion. Internships offer several advantages, such as preparation for future careers …

Retention Relationships: Connecting Higher Education Employees To Students Through Student Organizations, Michelle Sanford

Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigated higher education employee involvement with student organizations to determine if a connection existed between an employee’s engagement with a student organization and the employee’s retention at the university. Research shows that student involvement in campus life and with student organizations increases student retention (Astin, 1984); however, few research studies have focused on the impact this type of involvement has on employee retention. In this study, the researcher explored the following research questions: How does employee engagement with student organizations impact employee retention? Why do employees choose to support student organizations? The researcher examined these questions …

Obstacles To Excellence: Academic Freedom And China's Quest For World-Class Universities, Chelsea Blackburn Cohen

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

China’s government has made significant investments to develop universities that already compete with the world’s best. Their progress has captured global attention over the years, with universities around the world forging partnerships with institutions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and scholars and students around the world flocking to study, teach, and research in the country. But while China continues to stoke its ambitions for developing more world-class universities, respect for academic freedom and other human rights essential to quality higher education lags behind, leaving scholars and students at risk, and the country’s goals in balance.

With the recent …

The Motivation To Write Profile-College: A Tool To Assess The Writing Motivation Of Teacher Candidates, Ernest Solar, Angela Marie Mucci-Guido Ph.D., Carolyn Cook, Barbara Marinak

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Writing is an important aspect of literacy regardless of the grade or discipline. State standards have defined the writing genres, crafts, and skills that are to be taught by teachers in PK-12 classrooms. However, in addition to standards, research indicates that a teacher’s own conception of writing is crucial to establishing classroom conditions necessary for young writers to grow, explore and take risks. If this is the job of PK-12 educators, then it is essential for higher education instructors to understand and explore the writing conceptions of teacher candidates. One of these critical conceptions is the motivation to write. The …

Theory And Practice In Doctoral Dissertation Research, 2007-2017: A Content Analysis By Degree Type, William Friel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In response to the overwhelming presence of professional practice doctoral degrees in the early 2000s, universities offering Doctor of Education (EdD) and/or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in higher education studies began to question the purpose and value of each degree. These universities asked: What is the value of academic research if it does not aim to improve the condition of what is being studied? This led to a theory-practice debate among departments offering the EdD and the PhD from the perspective of the goal of the dissertation research: Truth or improvement. To address this tension, the Carnegie Project on …

Improving The Rigor Of Online Education: Exploring Characteristics Of Faculty And Syllabi Within An Online Program Assessment Process, Brad J. Hamel

All NMU Master's Theses

As online course enrollments grow, overall perception of rigor still lags compared to that of traditional face-to-face education. The purpose of this research was to tie faculty and syllabi characteristics to the rigor of online courses. This study explored the relationship between faculty and syllabi characteristics and performance on an online entry-level course design quality assurance assessment (pass, pass with concern, or fail). A decision tree analysis was used to predict the relationship of the independent (faculty and syllabi characteristics) and the dependent (entry-level course design assessment) variables. Findings suggest that faculty rank and writing intensive are key characteristics predictive …

Performance-Based Funding Of Higher Education: Analyses Of Policy Discourse Across Four Case Studies, Mary Ziskin, Karyn E. Rabourn, Donald Hossler

Mary B. Ziskin

Performance-based funding (PBF) for public colleges and universities is increasingly prevalent worldwide, as a part of a broader pattern of marketisation in public education. This study focused on developing an empirical view of how, and in what contexts, policy makers use the concepts of neoliberal economics to design and support PerformanceBased Funding (PBF) policies in higher education. We analysed 121 policy documents, white papers, evaluation reports, and news items related to PBF policies in four case jurisdictions: Tennessee, Washington, United Kingdom, and Italy. We employed critical discourse analysis methods as framed by Fairclough and colleagues and implemented this approach within …

The Role Of Higher Education In Rural Economic Development: A Program Evaluation Of The Colorado Rural Jump-Start Program, Maureen T. Stepp

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

Since the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent recession, some urban and metro areas have experienced economic recovery, but not all geographic areas are recovering at the same pace. Federal, state, and local programs developed to help rural communities with their economic development efforts have failed to make much of a difference. In 2015, as a potential solution, Colorado spearheaded an initiative to incentivize economic development in rural communities. The Rural Jump-Start (RJS) Zone Act provides tax relief to new businesses and employees of those businesses, with the idea that because of these benefits, more businesses would retain, start, …

Reducing The Attainment Gap For Low Socio Economic Status Students: Concurrent Enrollment Program Evaluation Colorado Mountain College, Jeremiah Fernandez Johnson

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

A gap in college degree attainment is growing in the United States as college tuition and fees have drastically increased creating many barriers for students in low socio economic status (SES) families. These barriers are just the beginning in the many hurdles low SES students face in entering a college pathway and persisting to completing certificates or bachelor’s degrees. The state of Colorado has addressed this equity gap in higher education by creating a state wide initiative they have called Colorado Rises. This initiative is centered on increasing college completion statewide to 66% by 2025. In order to achieve this …

Utilization-Focused Evaluation: Exploring The Academic Self-Efficacy Of Paramedic Students In A Hybrid Learning Program, Amy Connerton

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to conduct a utilization-focused evaluation of the paramedic hybrid learning program at Colorado Mountain College, a rural community college. The study examined the relationship between student academic self-efficacy (SASE) and learning in a hybrid program and the effect of SASE on program satisfaction. Data were collected through multiple methods, including a questionnaire of program graduates from 2014 to 2018, interviews of seven past graduates, and a focus group involving eight stakeholders. These data were carefully analyzed for accuracy and then coded for relevant elements. The findings, evaluated in relation to two guiding research questions, …

Orientation For College Success: A Utilization-Focused Evaluation Of The Student Orientation And Registration Program At The Steamboat Springs Campus Of Colorado Mountain College, Jacquelyn B. Brazill

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

Successfully transitioning into postsecondary education can be challenging for new college students, particularly for students who are academically or socially underprepared for college. Transition programs can assist students with this process, thus increasing the likelihood of student retention. The author of this paper conducted a Utilization-Focused evaluation of the Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) program at the Steamboat Springs campus of Colorado Mountain College with the intention of improving the program. The study examined the program through the lens of students’ perceptions of their academic and social preparation for their first semester of college after attending the SOAR program.

The …

Advising Assessment Practices Of Advising Professionals At An Accredited United Kingdom Urban Career-Focused Higher Education Institution: A Replicated Quantitative, Descriptive Analysis, Catherine E. Mahrt-Washington

Dissertations

The Problem

As the world has flattened, the globalization and quality education movement surrounding higher education worldwide has led to the accountability of all stakeholders regarding student success in and beyond the classroom. Student mobility continues to impact tertiary enrollments as families and students consider the proliferated traditional and non-traditional enrollment alternatives along with prospective lower tertiary debt options. Although assessment, an accountability tool, in co-curricular areas such as advising has been overlooked by leaders, advising is not impervious to accountability consequences. The problem is that assessment of advising, if performed, is oftentimes implemented informally, without a well-defined framework or …