Education Commons^™

Youth Identity And Postsecondary Decision Making In A Rural State: Evidence Of A College For All Master Narrative, Jayson Seaman, Cindy L. Hartman, Andrew D. Coppens, Erin H. Sharp, Sarah Jusseaume, Molly Donovan

Faculty Publications

This study examined the normative messages that inform youth postsecondary decision making in a predominantly rural state in the northeastern U.S., focusing on the institutionalization and circulation of identity master narratives. Using a multilevel, ecological approach to sampling, the study interviewed 33 key informants in positions of influence in educational, workforce, and quality of life domains. Narrative analysis yielded evidence of a predominant master narrative – College for All – that participants described as a prescriptive expectation that youth and families orient their postsecondary planning toward four-year, residential baccalaureate degree programs. Both general and domain-specific aspects of this master narrative …

Best Practices For Edd Comprehensive Exams And Capstone Projects: Students' Attitudes And Perspectives Of Outcomes In An Online Program, Masha Krsmanovic, Holly A. Foster

Faculty Publications

This research was guided by a problem of practice experienced by an EdD program, which transitioned to a fully online modality during the pandemic and rapidly grew in enrollment. The problem evaluated was ensuring the redesigned program milestones – capstone and comprehensive exam – are feasible given the size of the program. The current study utilized descriptive research design to provide a comprehensive description of educational phenomena. The study was conducted at a large, public research university in the South. A total of 316 students enrolled in the program and were invited to complete the survey, of which 131 responses …

Review-From Educational Experiment To Standard Bearer: University 101 At The University Of South Carolina, Blake Denton

Faculty Publications

In 2022, the University of South Carolina observed the fiftieth anniversary of its innovative “University 101” experiment and the course’s legacy as the leading model of the “first-year experience” movement in higher education. Simply stated, University 101 is an extended orientation seminar designed to facilitate new students’ transition to college and campus life at the flagship. In this commemorative edited volume, eleven contributors affiliated with South Carolina collectively document the history, evolution, and impact of the institution’s renowned University 101 Programs (now a multifaceted enterprise that oversees and fosters every aspect of the campus’s first-year experience) on generations of the …

Differentiating The Edd And The Phd In Higher Education: A Survey Of Characteristics And Trends, Holly A. Foster, Steven Chesnut, James Thomas, Courtney Robinson

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Higher education, as a field of study, is one of the few programmatic areas that offer two doctoral degrees: The Doctor of Education (EdD) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). In the United States, the two degrees are often conflated. Conversations, to this point, have done more to contribute to the theoretical debate than to operationally distinguish between the two degree paths.

Method: The current study analyzed data collected from a review of the 188 doctoral programs at 145 institutions listed with the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Results: Results suggest that while there …