Education Commons^™

Students At A Chinese Radio And Television University: Reasons For Participation, And Perceptions Of Their Status As Students And The Quality Of Their Learning, Huiping Ding

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this case study was to investigate students' participation in distance education and perceptions of their status as students and the learning achieved within the context of a radio and television university in the North of China. This study focused on the students who had completed a two-year college program and been promoted to a four-year bachelor's degree program. Data was collected and analyzed from observations, interviews and document reviews.

Results of the study identified many reasons for students' participation at the radio and television university to pursue their higher education. The primary reason for most was their …

A Descriptive Study Of The Frequency And Intensity Of Physical Activity Among Incoming First-Year Students At Luther College, Kristi Leonard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Young adults are not as active as they should be in comparison to national standards. They are more overweight than is healthy. The purpose of this study was to describe the physical activity volume (frequency + intensity) of incoming first-year students at an Iowa liberal arts college. Did certain demographic characteristics, such as gender; projected major area of study; age; native language; religious preference; ethnic background; and past high school and projected college athletic, theater/drama, and music participation of these students make a difference in their volume of physical activity? This study focused on the examination of exercise behaviors of …

A Qualitative Investigation Of Student Interactions In A Learning Activity Center: Defining Success, At-Risk Factors, And Resiliency For Developmental Programs In Community Colleges, John L. Kalkwarf

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This purposive study selected ten students of different background in order to understand how the educational success of adults was affected by Learning Activity Centers (LAC) in a community college. The ten selected students were all non-traditional students who had at least these three at-risk factors: (a) they scored below the college minimums on a diagnostic test in reading, writing, or mathematics, (b) they were below student financial aid guidelines, and (c) they had an interrupted educational history of two or more years. The ten students were paired into five categories: (a) Sudanese males, (b) Mexican females, (c) single parent …

Application Of Case Study Methodology In The Context Of Undergraduate Critical Care Nursing Education, James A. Hauschildt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study represented an initial effort to investigate how a case study methodology could be used in the context of critical care nursing education. The study hoped to improve students' content specific knowledge of critical care nursing and facilitate critical thinking processes vital to clinical decision making. The study describes the transformation of a critical care-nursing course from a traditional lecture-based approach to a case study approach.

The traditional approach addressed the content through abundant teacher centered lecture, but did not require students to actively engage in discourse or apply critical thinking skills to real nursing problems. The case study …

Internationalizing Higher Education: A Case Study Of A Midwest Comprehensive University, Irene Tan Ai Lian

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The international component of higher education has faced significant challenges over the past two decades due to the effects of globalization. The realization that international interdependence is not an abstract theory but a reality has prompted institutions of higher education in the United States to internationalize their campuses.

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine how and to what extent a Midwest comprehensive university has developed its internationalization process Special focus was placed on understanding and drawing conclusions from the perceptions of administrators and faculty members regarding the importance of internationalizing a campus and the factors that …

Preparation For The Role Of Baccalaureate Nurse Educator: Implications For Development Of Nurse Educator Curriculum, Vickie R. Barth

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics, experience and opinions of nurse educator faculty related to preparation for the role of nurse educator. Eighty-nine baccalaureate nurse educators randomly selected from each time zone of the continental United States electronically completed the “Nursing Faculty Development Survey.” Faculty members within nursing education programs typically hold advanced degrees in nursing. They are considered to be experts within their specialty area. Faculty are often hired for their clinical expertise rather than any formal educator preparation. Colleges of nursing routinely evaluate their programs and review student outcomes to ensure quality education. However, …

Student Perceptions Of Ethics And Professionalism In Computer Science: Does Age, Gender, Or Experience Matter?, James Stuart Bohy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This work explores several factors that impact ethics education in undergraduate computer science, including: the overall understanding of ethics material, any differences between male and female subjects, any differences between traditional age and non-traditional age subjects, and any differences in experience level. Instruments (attitudinal surveys and reflective scenarios) were distributed to four institutions in the Midwest; 74 out of 170 were returned.

Female subjects demonstrated a markedly better ability to distinguish between ethical and unethical behavior in the scenarios (especially in areas where the distinctions were less obvious) and produced higher quality written justifications. There were only 4 attitudinal survey …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Application Of Instructional Design Elements In The Distance Teaching Process, Lihua Zheng

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Educators use an instructional design process to improve instruction and to ensure learning. Faculty who teach at a distance must rely heavily on the instructional design process because of constraints in distance instruction. Thus, it is especially important for instructors to know, understand, and apply instructional design elements when planning to teaching at a distance. However, little research has been done in this field. Therefore, additional research has become the focus of this study. This study examines the perceptions of instructors at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Cedar Falls, Iowa, regarding how they understood and applied instructional design elements …

Social Experiences Of African-American Female Students On A Predominantly White Campus, Guy Alexander Sims

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the social experiences of African American female students at a predominantly white institution finding that in several areas of student life African American female students persisted to graduation without necessarily establishing informal social interactions within the university community. This is contrary to Vincent Tinto's posit that students who fail to make a connection with the campus community are more likely to withdraw from the institution. This study introduces the term irrelation as a descriptor of a social construct I have applied to African American female college students on the campus of a large, public, mid-western university. Irrelation …

Job Satisfaction Among Nurse Educators Of Private Colleges And Universities, Jacqueline Kay Kuennen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

It is widely known that a nursing shortage exists in the health care field today. Less well known is the existence of a nurse educator shortage. Most research has been directed toward investigating the nursing shortage in general rather than the nurse educator shortage in particular. Research on job satisfaction among nurse educators has received recent attention and has been regarded as the most urgent and immediate step in ameliorating the nurse educator shortage.

The purpose of this study was to investigate job satisfaction among nurse educators in private colleges and universities in a midwestern state. In addition to investigating …

In Their Footsteps: Women Faculty Of Wartburg College 1914–1945, Susan Kosche Vallem

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hiring and inclusion of women faculty members in private higher education, using Wartburg College as a case study. This study identified and described the educational policies and procedures at Wartburg from 1914 to 1945 related to the hiring of women faculty at Wartburg College.

While the history of women in higher education is well-chronicled, much less is written on the impetus and motivation for hiring women faculty and their impact on the institutions themselves. This dissertation adds to that specific body of knowledge.

Three research questions were investigated in this study: …

Hong Kong Higher Education In Transition: The Academic Community's Perception At The Time Of 1997 Retrocession, Jiyu Yang

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of selected faculty and academic administrators of the 1997 retrocession of Hong Kong to China with respect to the dual challenge of Hong Kong higher education assisting with the modernization of socialist Mainland China while maintaining its function supporting the capitalist system in Hong Kong. Twenty-five selected faculty and academic administrators in two representative universities of Hong Kong were interviewed at the eve of the retrocession. Four related themes were investigated in the interviews: the implications of “one country, two systems,” the ability of the Hong Kong higher education system …

An Evaluation Of The Ductile Iron Casting Training Program At The Industrial Technology Department Of A Midwestern University, Khalid D. Alkarimy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to determine how efficient this training program is as measured by (a) increasing the knowledge of new employees about the ductile iron casting process and other casting processes as perceived by the participants, (b) participants achievement of the program learning objectives as perceived by the participants, and (c) a positive reaction and attitude toward the program contents, instructors, facility and handout as perceived by the participants. The problem of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Ductile Iron Casting Training program offered by the Industrial Technology department of a Midwestern University to …

A Study Of The Motives, Barriers, And Enablers Affecting Participation In Adult Distance Education Classes In An Iowa Community College, Roger Joseph Rezabek

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to explore the motives, barriers, and enablers that affect adult students in their decision to enroll in community college distance learning credit classes.

Three methodologies were used in the study: an online focus group of distance learning and adult education experts, enlisted to identify the main issues and questions that would be used in interviews with distance students; a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 210 distance students to determine motives, demographic information, and to act as a screening device for the interviews; in-depth interviews with 23 community college distance learners in northeast Iowa, …

Student Perceptions Of General Education At A Comprehensive University And Implications, Kenneth E. Nuss

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Using a case study method, I investigated how students negotiate their way through the general education program at a middle-western comprehensive university, and consequently I increased my understanding of the student perspective of this portion of their undergraduate curriculum. From 34 semistructured qualitative interviews with general education science students, I discovered that they could articulate only a dim notion of the purpose of general education. I also became aware that the university structure failed to clearly communicate to students that the faculty values the general education curriculum.

The following themes for further analysis emerged from the student interviews: the purpose …

Perceived Importance Of Iso 9000 Factors As Indicators Of Quality In Industrial Technology Related Programs At Four-Year State Regional Universities, Floyd L. Olson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Industry has often used a quality standard known as ISO 9000. No evidence has been located demonstrating the applicability of an industrial quality model to a singular academic department. The problem of this study was to determine if the guidelines for ISO 9004-2 could have been considered appropriate for Industrial Technology related programs and how they could have been used to indicate quality within such programs.

The purpose of this study was to seek knowledge relating the importance of ISO 9004-2 guidelines to audit and/or improve the quality management of Industrial Technology related departments at 4-year state regional universities. This …

A Comparative Study Of The Perceived Educational Needs Of Iowa Merged Area Vii Manufacturers And Iowa Technical Educators, David D. Bradney

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research was a descriptive pilot study that compared the perceptions of Iowa Merged Area VII manufacturers and Iowa technical educators regarding technical curricula, occupational skill certification, and drafting practices as these relate to Associate Degree programs in Mechanical Drafting and Design Technology. The problem was to determine what should be taught in two year technical curricula in Mechanical Drafting and Design Technology. The purpose of the study was to compare the perceived educational needs of Iowa Merged Area VII manufacturers and Iowa technical educators regarding the content of Mechanical Drafting and Design Technology curricula. The populations used for this …

Educational Aspirations And Perceptions Of Health Occupation Graduates From Community Colleges, Lawrence A. Dahl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The major purpose of this study was to investigate whether associate degree health occupation graduates perceived that the factors proposed in Dougherty's (1987) model on the continuance of education were valid. A second purpose was to profile selected characteristics of this population.

The sample consisted of licensed health care practitioners for whom an associate degree might be an entry level of preparation. The data were collected through the use of a questionnaire constructed to determine educational aspirations degree and to assess perceptions of the factors identified by Dougherty (1987). The data were analyzed using t tests and the chi-square test …

A Meeting Of Cultures: Faculty And Part-Time Doctoral Students In An Edd Program, Paul R. Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the cultural perspectives of the part-time doctoral students in educational administration and of selected faculty in the college of education at a medium sized middle western university. More specifically, the intent was to determine what types of cultures existed within these groups, the factors contributing to the development of these cultures, and what affect these factors had on the Ed.D. degree itself. A qualitative research approach was taken and included individual interviews, classroom observations, and university documents. Non-participant observations included five doctoral classes and related formal and informal conversations. The data gathering …

A Study To Identify Selected Factors Affecting The Implementation Of Computer-Aided Design And Drafting In Industrial Technology Baccalaureate Programs, Tsung-Juang Wang

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to identify and analyze selected factors affecting the present status of Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD) and those factors which were needed to reach a desired level of CADD implementation in Industrial Technology Baccalaureate Programs (ITBPs) in the United States. The intent of this study was to identify and analyze selected factors which facilitate the implementation of CADD in ITBPs within the United States.

One hundred and sixty-four ITBPs institutions from the 1992 National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT) Directory were used for participation in this study. A questionnaire identifying both current and …

The Effects Of Two Teaching Methods On Students’ Aids-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, And Behaviors, Connie M. Ryan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two different teaching methodologies on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of a selected group of undergraduate students at the University of Northern Iowa. The two methods used were a lecture on AIDS for one group of students and the same lecture followed by a panel discussion with individuals upon whom AIDS has had a direct effect on their lives for a second group of students.

Subjects consisted of three sections of students enrolled in an undergraduate personal wellness course at the university. One section of …

Professional Development And The Police: A Study Of Institutional Change, Gehrig Kenneth La Velle

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to examine curricula change in the area of police professional development in England and Wales. More specifically, it was an examination of the process of change in a professional development institution. The intent was to investigate a comparative institutional model that could assist United States police educators and career development. The Police Staff College. known as Bramshill, agreed to participate in the study. A quantitative-interpretive paradigm was used and three study visits were conducted at Bramshill from May 1990 to September 1991. Participants included the Police Group, Directing, and Support Staff. Each participant was …

Industrial Technology Faculty's Valuation Of Consulting And Professional Performance, Daniel Richard Meyer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate university industrial technology faculty relationships between their consulting with industrial and perceptions of professional performance. The question addressed was that if effects on teaching ability, research activity, scholarly publishing, and public service arising from this activity. The information obtained adds to knowledge and may be useful for administrators in supporting this form of public service. The result should be increased faculty competence, better prepared students, and increased industrial competitiveness.

Exogenous variables of consulting with industry, competency maintenance, theory testing, enthusiasm regeneration, research opportunity, and scholarly publishing were identified as having potential impact …

Factors Influencing Preparation Needed Of Future Industrial Technology Department Leaders In Higher Education, Rajendra L. Desai

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The object of this study was to help future industrial technology department leaders in higher education develop effective planning strategies and prioritize their preparation before they sought leadership positions in industrial technology. Two hundred fifty-four industrial technology department leaders in higher education from all over the United States were asked to respond to a questionnaire. A five point Likert-type scale was used to rate the importance of 58 statements identified from Marshall's (1984) study. One hundred sixty (62.99%) usable responses formed the basis of this study.

Mean values and standard deviations were determined for all the statements. The grand mean …

A Study Of Peer Involvement In The Formative Evaluation Of Instruction In Higher Education, Larry W. Keig

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine faculty attitudes toward methods of peer review in the formative evaluation of instruction in higher education, and toward selected variables that may affect the willingness of faculty members to avail themselves of these methods. The methods investigated were direct classroom observation, videotaping of classes, evaluation of course materials, and evaluation of instructor-graded student assignments. The variables examined included detractors (i.e., factors having potential to take away from the value of the evaluation methods), enhancers (i.e., factors having potential to add to the effectiveness of the methods of evaluation), and individual/institutional improvement variables …

Curricular Trends In Four-Year Baccalaureate Degree Industrial Technology Programs, Clayton Ray Diez

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The intents of the research were to determine both curricular trends in four-year baccalaureate industrial technology programs and the role accreditation standards have on such trends. The purpose was to present implications for future curriculum development and to provide a framework and point of reference for both curriculum developers and standards writers.

From the literature review, questionnaire items were designed to answer four research questions. The instrument was validated by a jury process and data were collected from 60 respondents, organized and compiled using National Association of Industrial Technology curriculum categories. Chi square and descriptive statistics were used to analyze …

Factors Associated With Student Success In A University Tutorial Program: Does High School Gpa, Act Scores Or Time Spent With A Tutor Make A Difference, Lea Lynnette Roseberry

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis attempts to detect differences between those students who receive tutoring and gained passing grades and those who received tutoring and gained failing grades. Differences are detected by investigating three different independent variables; high school grade point average, American College Test (ACT) scores and time spent with a tutor. The subjects were University of Northern Iowa students who had received tutorial services from Student Support Services from the years 1985 to 1989. The research questions were as follows. 1. Did the students who produced passing grades differ from those who did not on their high school grade point averages …

Factors Influencing Minority Enrollment In Postsecondary Vocational-Technical Education Programs In The State Of Iowa, Samuel Chukuemeka Obi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A study involving minority students was undertaken to ascertain and validate pertinent variables that influenced their enrollment in the postsecondary vocational-technical education programs in the state of Iowa. The study was also used to determine: (a) whether there were significant differences in the perceptions of postsecondary vocational-technical education minority students and vocational-technical-minded minority high school seniors on the one hand, and college-minded, vocational-technical-minded, and non-college/non-vocational-technical-minded minority high school seniors on the other; (b) whether the identified variables had comparable influences on postsecondary minority students to what the students thought; (c) the sources from which minority students learned the most about …

Recruitment Practices Influencing Enrollment Of Four-Year Undergraduate Students Who Specialize In Graphic Arts, Joseph George Gindele

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to identify recruitment practices and other selected factors that could be utilized to increase undergraduate student enrollment in three types of graphic arts programs: education, technology, and management. The study involved graphic arts faculty and students in 76 colleges and universities in the United States.

Six instruments were used to secure data. These included two preliminary devices, three faculty opinionnaires, and one student opinionnaire. Each faculty opinionnaire focused on one of three graphic arts programs and contained a list of 32 recruitment practices. The student opinionnaire consisted of a similar list, an additional listing …

An Analysis Of The Importance Of Selected Applied Physics Concepts As Prerequisites To Training In Automotive Technology, Patrick Michael Mccleskey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study has been to develop information that may be useful in the preparation of curriculums and materials dedicated to the remediation of applied physics knowledge and skill deficits demonstrated by entering automotive technology students. The problem was to identify and rank-order the importance of applied physics concepts within the mechanical, fluidal, electrical/electronic, thermal, and chemical domains that are foundational to training in automotive technology.

A questionnaire containing 77 concept statements with a corresponding graphic rating scale was administered via mailed correspondence to all 196 of California's full-time community college automotive instructors. Of these, 130 (66.33%) were …