Education Commons^™

An Evaluation Of Clemson University’S Cooperative Extension Services Online Learning Programs And Framework For Program Development And Evaluation, Christina Leard

All Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic brought online learning to the forefront with the need to define online learning with best practices. Clemson University Extension conducted a retrospective observational study compiling survey data from virtual extension agents and supervisor’s conducting online programs. A literature review analyzed terminology for online learning to obtain a standardized definition to define online learning for Clemson Extension Services programs; evaluate and identify through literature strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges (SWOC) of on-line learning; determine and identify online learning competencies for instructors, assessment and evaluation; and analyze and evaluate response data from virtual extension agents delivering online programs in …

A Qualitative Inquiry Of Research Administrator Perceptions Of Job Satisfaction In A Central Research Administration Unit At The University Of Denver, Noelle L. Strom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) team provides critical research administration services for the research community at the University of Denver. As research funding continues to rise at the University of Denver, retention of research administrators is critically important. Job satisfaction is key to employee engagement and retention. Higher job satisfaction contributes to several positive outcomes for institutions, including lower turnover, higher productivity, lower costs, and employee loyalty. The need to retain experienced research administration professionals is highlighted by the fact that few formal educational routes exist that prepare employees for a career in research administration; rather, developing expertise takes a …

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

Fostering An Evaluative Culture By Addressing A Breakdown In The Policy Development Cycle, Michelle Anderson-Draper

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to address the problem of practice (PoP) of a breakdown in the policy development cycle. The breakdown has resulted in a lack of evaluative feedback on the extent to which policies have been implemented as intended and are effective in achieving their intended outcomes. The PoP challenges elected trustees, in a large and diverse K–12 school division in Western Canada, to carry out their governance role. To address the PoP, the OIP offers a comprehensive change implementation plan, guided by a four-step change path model, actions, and continuous improvement cycle, supported by communication strategies …

Exploring The Impact Of An Online Leadership Course On Japanese Undergraduates' Conceptions Of Leadership, Ryosuke Watanabe

Dissertations

Today’s complex problems transcend borders and require a collective and adaptive learning response. Literature suggests that, because the traditional hierarchical or positional style of leadership cannot effectively address problems we face today, leadership should take a more collaborative and systemic form. Rost (1991) characterized this new approach as the postindustrial paradigm of leadership. Unfortunately, changing the existing conception of leadership is not easy. Furthermore, assessing people’s leadership perceptions is challenging because leadership is often a tacit and latent construct. Because formal leadership education is still in its infancy in Japan, little is known about the impact of leadership education in …

An Evaluation Of Student Government: Diminishing The Disconnect Between Student Government Organizations And Their Constituencies, Elizabeth Roberts

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Student Government Organizations (SGOs) exist to serve and represent the student body. However, SGOs often face issues that lead to a disconnect between them and their constituency. The issues that can lead to a disconnect include responsibilities and purpose, representation and voter turnout, lack of knowledge and transparency, relationship to administration, and internal issues such as bias and mistreatment, transition, and personal outcomes. This thesis proposes an intervention of a yearly Student Government Evaluation where student government organizations are evaluated by the student body and their members and then create an action plan based on the results. The aim of …

Engagement And Development Of Professional Skills Among Low-Income, High-Achieving Students: A Structural Equation Model, Nasser Alresaini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation tested the effect of academic engagement and social engagement on developing soft professional skills for low-income, high-achieving students in higher education. Using the publicly available data of GMS scholarship, the analysis was consisted of EFA and SEM. The general effect model gave a general idea about the tested population, whereas the conditional model highlighted the groups' specific significance. Low-income, high-achieving students continued their academic and social engagement growth during their school years. Academic engagement positively enhanced students' soft professional skills for students who did not receive the GMS scholarship, students from educated and uneducated parents, Asian and Hispanic …

Toward A Holistic Approach Of Evaluating Higher Education Institutes, Yidan Chen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In this thesis, I argue that higher education institutes generate significant positive externalities and other virtual benefits to the society they embedded in, which often dwarf the direct economic returns created. It would be an unfortunate oversimplification to throw economic theories developed from the private sector directly to higher education institutes without acknowledging their unique social values. Following a long tradition of integrating social and economic perspectives, I proposed a conceptual paradigm for higher education system to cover its social as well as economic role. An institute sets strategic intents to live up to stakeholders’ expectations and then develops an …

An Exploration Of Professional Preparedness Of Instructional Designers To Evaluate, Philena V. Devaughn

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Formative, summative, and confirmative evaluation of instructional products determine whether learner objectives have been attained and substantiate the value of the instruction. The ability to implement an evaluation plan is classified as an essential skill for instructional designers by the International Board of Standards for Training and Performance Improvement (IBSTPI). Previous research has ascertained that entry-level instructional designers have failed to master the skills required to create evaluation plans.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the professional preparation received by instructional designers, for instruction evaluation, through graduate level programs. The data collected for this study was the …

Development And Evaluation Of An Online University Readiness Course Furthered By Capturing The Lived Experience Of Students During This Transition: A Multi-Perspective Understanding Of The Transition To University, Cortney Hanna-Benson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the transition to university, students may hold expectations about university life: how their classes, friendships, and support networks would change in university. They may need to adjust their time management skills and study strategies to better suit the new self-directed learning environment, while grappling with psychosocial and emotional changes resulting from the new social and living environments. ‘University readiness’ provided the context and rationale for development of a pre-university online course, Leg UP: An Introduction to Health Across the Lifespan. This program was evaluated in a quasi-experimental study to assess its effectiveness at easing students’ transition to university …

Bridge To Student Success?: An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The University Of Mississippi's Jumpstart Summer Bridge Program, Emily Ferris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Summer bridge programs (SBPs) are a popular programmatic intervention of colleges and universities to assist students with the transition from high school to college and provide students with the academic and social tools they need to be successful. Despite their popularity, a survey of relevant literature indicated that bridge programs are not routinely evaluated to measure their effectiveness. This study sought to contribute to the body of existing literature by evaluating the effectiveness of the University of Mississippi’s (UM) JumpStart Summer Bridge Program and its impact on student success outcomes, including GPA, institutional retention, and degree completion, to establish concrete …

Utilizing A Learning Management System To Support Access To Study Abroad: A Program Evaluation At The University Of Denver, Christopher Chaves E Silva

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

This doctoral research project investigated issues of access to study abroad at the University of Denver (DU). The study evaluated the use of the learning management system Canvas during Fall 2017, in preparation for student applications for study abroad during Fall 2018. The evaluation utilized qualitative data from focus groups with students and families, interviews with higher education professionals and analytics data on the usage of Canvas. The findings identified that the usage of Canvas during Fall 2017 was low in comparison to the number of individuals who applied to study abroad and was focused on the preparation for the …

Evaluación De Criterios E Indicadores Curriculares Como Estrategia Para Aseguramiento De La Calidad En Programas Académicos Universitarios, Erika Rivera Gutiérrez

Theses and Dissertations

La presente disertación surge de la necesidad de evaluar el nivel de cumplimiento decriterios e indicadores curriculares como estrategia para contribuir al aseguramiento de la calidad en programas académicos universitarios. La institución pública de educación superior se ubica en el municipio de Ixtlahuaca, estado de México.

El propósito de este estudio fue evaluar el nivel de cumplimiento de los criterios eindicadores de calidad del Plan de Estudios (PE), conocer la apreciación de los profesores, así como definir las áreas de oportunidad del programa académico (PA) de Diseño Gráfico (DG). Por tanto, se determinó una perspectiva metodológica de corte cualitativo con …

Student Persistence In Career And Technical Education: A Multi-Sample, Mixed-Method Evaluation Of Student Services, Brittany Jo Daulton

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the student services offered at the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) institutions, getting perspectives from students, faculty, and administrators. It also served to investigate the link between student support services and persistence. Using the TCAT institutions as an exemplary model, the evaluation study provided a model to be used by similar institutions to help students persist through their career and technical education experience. The evaluation used a utilization focused approach to determine the effectiveness of student support services provided. Data were collected from student, staff, and administrators and triangulated to …

Evaluating Colleges And Universities: A New Model For Institutional Rankings, Lucien Robert Costley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

Most colleges and universities function independently and lack the wherewithal of measuring performance areas of effectiveness, efficiency or quality. The United States Department of Education maintain a number of subsidiary organizations and external sources that provide public statistical data for analysis, yet an institutional performance output measure has not been defined, created, nor developed. At best, university rankings (from sources such as US News and World Report) have been the main source of institutional performance for decades despite researchers’ attempts to address gaps within the higher education field. These sources remain limited within their methodology and may not truly …

Investigation Of The Development Of Educational Ict Courses On Pre-Service Teachers’ Education Curricula, Sayuri Kojima

Masters Theses

Considering the 21^st - century children’s characteristics and needs, teachers need to realize the importance and necessity of educational technology integration, and understand how to use technology to facilitate student-centered instruction and achieve meaningful outcomes. Also, teacher education colleges need to provide pre-service teachers with practical activities using educational technologies prior to their teaching career. This will encourage new generation learners to learn with technology.

This study was conducted at a national university in Japan with 67 pre-service teacher participants. The five central research questions of this study were specifically focused assessing the course takers’ learning expectations in educational …

Perceptions Of Virginia Community College System Faculty And Administrators On The Purposes For And Composition Of A Comprehensive Evaluation System For Teaching Faculty Members, William H. Hightower Jr.

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

A survey instrument was developed to measure community college faculty and administrator views on the faculty evaluation process. Responses were then compared based on demographic characteristics such as primary area of instruction, supervisory responsibility, years of experience, and gender. Open-ended survey questions asked respondents to identify the strengths, limitations and changes needed for their current faculty evaluation plans.

A total of 404 faculty members and 67 administrators completed the survey. Significant differences were found between faculty and administrator responses with respect to the reasons for conducting faculty evaluations, the relative importance of including certain elements in the evaluation process, and …

Transformative Learning : An Examination Of The Impact Of Short-Term Study Abroad, Jesse Carson Pugh

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

When selecting a study abroad program, some students undertake a semester or academic-year study abroad program, while other students undertake a two-to eight-week study abroad program. Both study abroad opportunities allow students to become immersed in a culture different from their own. This research project is an exploratory study that looks at the impact of short-term study abroad programs on undergraduates at a public institution. This study examines how participants change in regards to their understanding of the host culture, explores what students learn about their host cultures, and looks at the intercultural development that the students gain from spending …

School Counselor Supervision And Evaluation In Minnesota, Billie Jo Kruse Steen

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

The purpose of this study was to examine the state of school counselor evaluation procedures in Minnesota through counselor responses to a survey instrument. School counselors, like many other school support personnel, receive little supervision and feedback on their performance. School counselor evaluation and supervision provides many challenges to school administrators. Counselors are often evaluated by administrators with little knowledge of what the school counselor does or should do in the educational setting . . Consequently, counselors are either seldom evaluated, or evaluated using instruments that were developed to assess classroom teachers. One hundred members of the Minnesota School Counselor …

A Summative Evaluation Of Flightsafety International's Computer Assisted Instruction Known As "Principles Of Troubleshooting", Willie Don Middlebrooks

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The objective of this experimental research was to ascertain if cognitive skills developed by the "Principles of Troubleshooting" (POT) educational course improved aircraft fault diagnostic ability in aircraft maintenance trainees. Sixty randomly chosen Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) students served as control and experimental subjects with the POT course as the independent variable. Because random assignment was possible, a posttest-only control group design was used. Thirty ERAU maintenance trainees who had received basic and advanced ERAU fault diagnostic training were administered the POT course. A practical test administered to both groups using two tailed t tests for independent means indicated improvement …

A Correlation Study Of The Washington Pre-College Test Scores To Determine Which Scores Are The Best Predictors Of Success In Flight Aviation At The Big Bend Community College, Richard H. Pearce

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine how a student's Washington Pre-College test results and his high school grade point average can best be used in deciding which people have the greatest chance to succeed in the Big Bend Community College flight aviation program. For the past four years of the aviation program it has been necessary to choose approximately seventy students for the program from as many as two hundred applicants. The counseling staff of the college in cooperation with the flight aviation department has used the high school grade point average as a primary tool in order …

Philosophy Division Report, Mark T. Coppenger, Allen Eaton, Allen Hampton

Honors Theses

In compliance with the Honors Program, the Philosophy Department has completed a comparative study of our department with ten other colleges and universities of similar size. The purpose of this study has been to obtain information by which to evaluate the Philosophy Department and to make suggestions to strengthen the department.

A Critical Study Of The Suzuki Approach To Violin Training As Compared To Other Selected String Methods, Nancy C. Umiker

OBU Graduate Theses

Statement of the problem- The problem of the study was to present all known aspects of the Suzuki method of violin teaching in comparison to four other approved systems, thus contributing to the evaluation of the Suzuki method.