Education Commons^™

Student Proficiency On High School Math Assessments And Their Relation To College And University Math Readiness, Tiffany Robinson

Dissertations

Data indicate that a significant number of first-year college students were inadequately prepared in high school to complete university-level mathematics courses. The purpose of this study is to evaluate student proficiency on high school mathematics assessments and their relation to student preparedness for university-level mathematics courses. The context of my study is a cohort of diverse, high school senior students in one state in the United States who have shown proficiency on mathematics assessments. The methodology I used was a mixture of qualitative and quantitative data, comprised of student and faculty index surveys at the high school and university level …

Reevaluating Student Engagement: Exploring And Applying Alternative Assignments In Higher Education Undergraduate Applied Saxophone, Anthony S. Cincotta Ii

Dissertations, 2020-current

Undergraduate applied saxophone study revolves around the conservatory model. This inflexible model, often referred to as a master-apprentice relationship, can create an instructor-centric power dynamic which does not address the needs of the modern student. A classroom where the power lies so heavily with the instructor can stifle student engagement and can create a sense of disenfranchisement. In this setting, students have limited input on their assignment selections. While curricula have evolved with regards to being more culturally diverse, relevant, and inclusive, the approach that educators use to deliver the material has remained largely unchanged. There is limited research on …

Evaluating The Assessment Of Resident Assistant Training, Diego Ulloa

Masters Theses

This poster provides the findings from a qualitative study of four housing professionals responsible for Resident Assistant (RA) training at four institutions in the Great Lake Association of College and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO) professional association that includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. This study looked at how those four institutions assessed, evaluated, and improved the centralized training provided to RAs by the department. Key findings include the importance of the use of learning outcomes for training sessions, developing, and maintaining strong relationships with key campus partners, and the issues around prioritizing session topics and departmental needs …

The Use Of Single-Subject Research Design For Assessment, Evaluation, And Research In Higher Education, Jordan C. Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

While enrolling in a college for a degree is still considered to be more of the expectation than the rule in households across the United States it is facing public criticism regarding its overall cost versus long-term benefits. This has prompted researchers to reevaluate practices in higher education to determine ways in which post-secondary institutions can improve their overall outcomes. In part, research indicates that this should include revisions to assessment, evaluation, and research (AER) practices. Currently, higher education faces many challenges associated with rigorous AER practices, which include an institutional focus on accountability measures, organizational challenges, and difficulties in …

Communicating Student Outcomes: A Mixed Methods Study Of Communication Effectiveness, Nicholas Branson

Dissertations

Assessment, Communicating evidence, Education, Evaluation, Higher education, Student outcomes

Leadership In Physical Therapist Education: Instructional Strategies And Assessment Methods Used Among U.S. Capte Accredited Programs, Gretchen R. Prather

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The physical therapy profession has recently placed greater significance on leadership education and research at all levels of professional development. Excellence and innovation in physical therapy practice must address leadership development beginning in professional education. This call for reform has been adopted broadly, including from an accreditation standpoint. The challenge now becomes to determine the most effective ways for preparing student physical therapists to lead in today’s fluid healthcare environment. This study examined leadership content among U.S. CAPTE accredited physical therapist education programs and, specifically, the instructional strategies and assessment methods frequently used to develop emerging leaders. An online survey …

Improving Outcomes Assessment Through Silo Integration, Jeffrey Scott Harmon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to leverage the experiences and perceptions of academic administrators at Mountain State University to disrupt the negative aspects of silo-based decision-making within closing the loop assessment practices. Siloed operations naturally begin to operate in contradiction to one another and often to the detriment of the organization. Focusing specifically on siloed operations across academic schools at Mountain State University, this study reveals issues of inefficiency and redundancy, and develops intervention strategies in an effort to improve closing the loop assessment efforts. These strategies include structural changes leading to a more integrated assessment model …

Institutional Accreditation: Making The Process More Efficient, Effective, And Meaningful To Colleges And Universities, Cynthia J. Requa

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Institutional accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process that is overseen through the seven institutional accreditors governed by the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of accreditation is to ensure institutional quality standards are being met by colleges and universities. The purpose of this study was to identify how the accreditation process could be improved with foci on efficiency, effectiveness, and more meaningful impact to the institutions. Drawing on Heifetz et al.’s (2009) theory of adaptive leadership, Kotter’s (2012) accelerators and the integrated planning principles of Stephens (2017) and Immordino et al., (2016), this study employed grounded theory to discover the …

Creating A Culture Of Assessment To Elevate Students’ Voices, Amber Knight

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the University of San Diego’s department of Student Activities and Involvement (SAI) could strengthen its assessment practices and execute consistent data-driven decision making. The following question guided my research: How can I promote a culture of assessment so that SAI’s programs and advising are directly informed by a more thorough data collection process that elevates students’ voices? Building on the work of assessment scholars, this study serves as a model for assessing student affairs assessment. By critically evaluating SAI’s existing assessment culture, administering assessments to understand departmental needs, and offering training …

Exploring Neurocognitive Processes That Underlie Reading Performance In Children: A Foundational Study, Ayan Mitra

Theses and Dissertations

With advancement in brain research, neuroscience researchers have collectively informed our understanding of reading-related processes. Despite an extensive body of literature, many educators are not aware of specific neuroimaging findings related to phonological processing and word reading. Therefore, the study builds on this body of research by exploring the connection between the brain and reading scores. Quantitative EEG and standardized academic achievement analyses were performed on 60 school-aged children. Intrahemispheric coherence analysis at rest were conducted across the sample of participants and several coherence networks were extracted and compared to standardized reading achievement scores. Specifically, networks that included Brodmann area …

Using Institutional Ethnography To Illuminate The Contested Space Of Grading, Sharon Ultsch

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

A plethora of research has documented the detrimental effects of assigning grades, A-F, to student work as well as the inherent inequities embedded in this century-old assessment practice that persists in the majority of US higher education institutions. Coupled with the ubiquitous Grade Point Average (GPA) and prevailing neoliberal audit culture in HEI, grades serve to maintain a social hierarchy veiled by the myth of meritocracy and objectivity. The goal of this study was to investigate how grades operate as a text to mediate social relations and how faculty participate in the social organization of ruling regimes, often unknowingly. This …

Data And Assessment Management In Collegiate Recreation, Jeana Carow

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Collegiate recreation programs and centers typically provide traditional programming space in addition to a range of physical activity spaces and resources, as a valuable part of the student experience. The external pressures of identifying and communicating departmental value and impact on the campus community has resulted in collegiate recreation departments’ use of data to communicate the effectiveness and impact of their work. The purpose of the study was to identify the data collection and assessment management practices of collegiate recreation departments, particularly focusing on the organization of data and assessment strategies as well as data collection, storage, reporting, analyzing, and …

Self-Determination Theory And Faculty Behavior: A Quantitative Study Of Faculty Leaders' Use Of Assessment Evidence, Joseph D. Levy

Dissertations

Despite assessment of student learning being essential work in higher education, a number of institutions have noted faculty could more effectively be using assessment results (Jankowski et al., 2018; Kuh et al., 2015; Metzler & Kurz, 2019; Suskie, 2014). This study applied Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a theoretical framework to provide context for faculty behavior associated with assessment actions (Fuller et al., 2016; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Mostly quantitative data were collected via electronic survey of faculty program leaders at a single institution, National Louis University (NLU). Results indicated a significant and positive relationship suggesting an increase in meeting the …

Alignment Or Detachment: College Educators’ Perceptions Of Experiential Learning Pedagogy, Wayne D. Finseth

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The main purpose of this study was to investigate how college educators’ perceptions of experiential learning influence the design, implementation, and assessment of their courses. A second purpose of this study was to examine the way’s college educators use experiential learning in their classes. A final purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between a college educators’ prior experience with experiential learning and how they utilize that prior experiences to design, instruct, and assess their courses. A descriptive research design was used in this study. A randomized and anonymous survey containing 29 items was emailed out through Qualtrics …

Placement Testing Instruments For Modality Streams In An English Language Program, Aimee Hilgers

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine placement testing instruments for the modality streams in the English Language Program (ELP) at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM). The study involved research into and consideration of types and purposes of tests. A placement test was determined to be the appropriate test type for the program’s current student placement needs. An investigation was performed regarding characteristics placement tests need to possess for our program. With these characteristics guiding research, placement test options for the modality streams were reviewed, including standardized tests and in-house assessments. This project determined that in-house placement testing instruments …

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 …

The Practice Of Assessment Data Use In Student Affairs: The Need For An Expanded Conceptualization, Mark D. Manderino

Dissertations

Over the past three decades, student affairs assessment, as an organized functional area, has matured and established itself as an essential and expected component within higher education in the United States (Elkins, 2015; Ewell, 2002; Henning & Roberts, 2016). While professionals know that data use is part of the process of assessment (Banta & Blaich, 2010), there has not been sufficient evidence of what use of assessment looks like both in higher education and specifically student affairs, or how best practice strategies encourage assessment data use (Kinzie, Hutchings, Jankowski, 2015). There is a dearth of empirical evidence related to use …

Ita Language Proficiency Testing: Recommended Replacement For The Speak® Test, Anne Marie Stoughton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Oral language tests have been used since the 1950s to assess the proficiency of spoken language. In the 1980s and 1990s, the need for oral proficiency testing increased as states began to mandate that universities within their jurisdictions test the English proficiency of instructors due to growing concerns over international teaching assistants’ (ITAs) comprehensibility. Many universities turned to the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit® (SPEAK test), a language proficiency test created and distributed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), as means to test ITA proficiency in English. ETS’s discontinuance of the SPEAK test in 2010 has forced, and is forcing, …

Surveying The Soul: Shaping Auto-Criticism With Reflective Arts-Based Inquiry To Assess A Female Doctoral Experience, Monica Fain Rezac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an arts-based auto-criticism assessing the author's experience in her doctoral program. It is also perhaps the first dissertation elaborating on a method called auto-criticism, as derived from educational criticism and connoisseurship. The process of inquiry is rooted in arts-based methods of representation and theories of educational criticism and critical theory in the humanities. Philosophical approaches to artwork and the use of it in these methodologies was inspired by the independent arts practices of intuitive artists. The purpose of this project is for the author to develop, articulate, and create a sense of what auto-criticism entails in the …

Leadership, Teacher Learning, And Assessment: A Strategic Approach To Improving Writing Achievement, Tommi Hoogsteen

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In an era with increasing accountability and pressures to increase student achievement across all levels, school-based leaders need support in bringing about such changes. The problem of practice addressed in the organizational improvement plan is stated as: A document known as Saskatchewan Reads for Administrators exists to support leadership for best practice in reading in elementary school. No such document exists for writing. The problem of practice under investigation is the need for a strategic approach to support school leaders in improving student achievement levels in writing. Attempting to address this gap in a comprehensive fashion and using a strategic …

An Evaluation Of The Criteria Used To Assess Title Ix Responsible Employee Training Programs At Large, Four Year Primarily Residential Institutions, Catherine Hopkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: (a) discover the intended objectives that selected institutions of higher education had for their “responsible employee” training programs and (b) identify what data were collected to determine if the “responsible employee” training programs were meeting those objectives. I surveyed the Title IX Coordinators at 144 primarily residential and highly residential institutions using a 20 question electronic survey. The top four reported training objectives were that the responsible employee learn how to: appropriately respond to a student; understand their legal duty to report; cite the information that students must be informed about; and know …

Listening To Our Graduate Students' Feedback: Graduate Student Exit And Alumni Surveys, Alison W. Hong-Novotney

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Student and alumni surveys have become some of the most widely-used methods of assessment of student learning in higher education. While the majority of literature on student surveys and assessment focuses on undergraduate students, this study looks specifically at why graduate student exit and alumni surveys can be valuable tools within a comprehensive assessment plan. Listening to the feedback of current and former graduate students, and then acting upon that feedback, is crucial for the engagement and success of this unique population of students who bring their particular strengths and needs to their educational experiences. This study examined how master’s …

The Online Student Experience: An Exploration Of First-Year University Students’ Expectations, Experiences And Outcomes Of Online Education, Melanie Henry

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Online higher education presents a critical opportunity to extend and diversify the student body. The Online Student Experience (OSE), and online student outcomes, however, remain shrouded in ambiguity. The literature presents conflicting reports of online education (OE) quality, confounded by a lack of appreciation for potential differences between online and on-campus education, and a diversity of interpretations for what constitutes OE. The present research conceptualises OE as representing university courses that require students to interact with instructors and course materials via the internet, with no expectation of attending a university campus. A broad student-centred perspective is notably lacking from the …

Enhancing And Evaluating Scientific Argumentation In The Inquiry-Oriented College Chemistry Classroom, Annabel D'Souza

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The research presented in chapters 2, 3, and 4 in this dissertation uses a sociocultural and sociohistorical lens, particularly around power, authority of knowledge and identity formation, to investigate the complexity of engaging in, supporting, and evaluating high-quality argumentation within a college biochemistry inquiry-oriented classroom.

Argumentation skills are essential to college and career (National Research Council, 2010) and for a democratic citizenry. It is central to science teaching and learning (Osborne et al., 2004a) and can deepen content knowledge (Jiménez-Aleixandre et al., 2000; Jiménez-Aleixandre & Pereiro-Munhoz, 2002). When students have opportunities to make claims and support it with evidence and …

Argument Education In Higher Education: A Validation Study, Paul E. Mabrey Iii

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Argument education can play an important role in higher education for leadership development and responding to increasing calls for post-secondary accountability. But to do so, argumentation teachers, scholars, and practitioners need to develop a clearer definition and research agenda for the purposes of teaching and assessing argumentation. The research conducted here contributes to this project by first establishing a definitional construct and observable behaviors associated with learning and practicing argumentation. Second, an argument education assessment instrument was created based off of the literature-supported definition of argumentation. Third, debate and argument education subject matter experts reviewed the definition, behaviors, and assessment …

An Examination Of Correlation Between Preadmission Indicators Of College Readiness And Clinical Performance Of Nursing Students, Kenneth Allen

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

A significant body of literature supports the proposition that the development of a culturally competent healthcare workforce is enhanced by diversity in the cohorts of students graduating from post-secondary educational programs related to careers in health and healthcare. However, increasing diversity in these programs is contingent upon increasing acceptance rates of historically disadvantaged students, such as students from racial/ethnic minority groups and/or low socioeconomic status, into highly selective post-secondary institutions, such as state flagship universities, and highly selective majors such as nursing. A significant barrier to increasing enrollment of disadvantaged students at more selective post-secondary institutions is the combined effect …

Quality Assurance In Online Graduate Education: Program Review Processes And Assessment Techniques Used In Higher Education, Lindsay N. Turner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting the study was to form an understanding of the online program assessment and assessment processes in higher education, and how program review processes were adopted and implemented through institutional policies in regard to industry quality assurance standards. The study looked at institutions classified as very high, high, or research universities by the Carnegie Classifications, and which offered online masters programs focused on preparing students for positions in educational administration or leadership roles. The study used an electronic survey and content analysis through institutional policy and quality assurance documents to develop a recommendation for institutional level quality …

An Investigation Into Native And Non Native English Speaking Instructors' Assessment Of University Esl Student's Oral Presentation, Rubaiyat Jabeen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis aims to conduct a mix-methods investigation into native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) assessment of university level English as a second language (ESL) student's oral presentation. To collect data for this study, all faculty members and instructors currently teaching in at the departments of English and Communication Studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU) were invited to participate in an online survey using Qualtrics Survey Software (Qualtrics). After receiving email invitations, altogether 31 people provided their consent to participate. Among the 31 teacher-participants, there were 19 NESTs and 12 NNESTs. The participants then took part …

Perceptions Of General Education Deans And Department Chairs Of Their Colleges As Learning Organizations, May Charmayne Mulligan

Dissertations

Higher education institutions are being pushed towards increased assessment practices because of rising costs, mass access, new delivery methods, and rising competition on the national and global scale. Academic deans and department heads are at the center of these assessment efforts, and assessment should guide changes within the organization for improvement. Learning organization theory provides a framework for creating an environment favorable to assessment and improvement. Six learning organization principles – learning, communication, measurement, problem-solving, structure, and vision – were used for this study.

An online questionnaire was used to capture the perceptions of deans and department heads as to …

The Role Of Grammar Knowledge For Identifying Language Needs, Anne Toolan Rowley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The focus of the study was an interest in discerning the relationship between grammar knowledge and its application for evaluating grammar development at different academic and professional stages. A 3-part questionnaire was completed by first and last semester Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) graduate students, and practicing speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The first section gathered data related to educational background, perceptions related to grammar knowledge, and recall of undergraduate instruction on grammar topics. A Grammar Test (GT), which reviewed typically developing grammar elements and sentence structures, and a Language Sample Analysis (LSA) comprised the latter two sections. With this data, the …