Defining Student Success From A Holistic Perspective, Ranabelle Aranda Stroh

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Scholarly literature on higher education presents a plethora of student success definitions. These definitions encompass both quantitative and qualitative data as measurements. However, inconsistent definitions of student success have negatively impacted students’ experiences in higher education. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the Problem of Practice (PoP): the need to bring awareness to the inconsistent definitions of student success and the negative impacts on student experiences at Oasis College. I explore the organizational context at Oasis College and propose a strategy as a response to the PoP, including the contributing factors. Utilizing the Kahkisiw model as the change vision sets …

Changing The Course Of Faculty Engagement In Academic Governance: Reconcilation Through Education, Trish Nuyten

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

During the past decade, River’s Edge has engaged in organizational change due to neoliberal reforms permeating the higher education sector in the province. Chronic under-funding and annual budget cuts have directed change efforts towards commodifying service, education, and research to generate revenue from public consumption. Like other higher education institutions, River's Edge responds by positioning itself to become a driver of economic development rather than a force for social change. The mandate and strategic priorities of the provincial government is the primary driver of institutional change. The mandate holds the institution accountable by setting key performance indicators to serve the …

Enhancing Experiential Learning Opportunities Through The Integration Of Continuous Improvement Practices, Alena Shah Ms.

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Experiential learning (EL) in higher education has become a prominent academic curriculum component. Recent provincial guidelines emphasize that post-secondary institutions provide students EL opportunities, outlining criteria as to what counts as an EL activity. While these guidelines provide instruction on what an EL opportunity should contain, it does not detail how post-secondary institutions should develop and implement these activities responsive to their unique student population needs. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to determine how an Ontario university can provide meaningful, student-focused EL opportunities through a centralized, theoretically-informed EL implementation framework. It centers around a Problem of Practice (PoP) at …

Internationalization Of Regional Higher Education In China: A Critical Policy Case Study Of A Transnational Double-Degree Program, Hailiang Zhao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

While internationalization is omnipresent in the Chinese universities’ policy rhetoric and internationalization initiatives have been widely carried out, current research of China’s higher education internationalization mainly concentrates on the top research universities. This dissertation shifts the focus to study the internationalization of higher education in regional universities in China. Situated in the critical policy analytical framework, this study used qualitative case study approach to investigate national and institutional level perceptions of higher education internationalization in the Chinese context with a focus on a specific internationalization initiative, a double-degree program (SNZDD), in one regional public university (RU). Bourdieu’s concepts of …

Creating And Implementing Online Courses Through The Development Of An E-Pedagogy, Drew Kean

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Post-secondary education in Ontario is rapidly transforming due to the changing needs of students which include an expectation of technology-enabled teaching methods and access to flexible learning options, such as online courses. The province of Ontario has responded by including innovative teaching methods and access to flexible learning options in their vision for post-secondary education. The institution discussed within this OIP has responded by offering online courses, however, there is a lack of development tools to support faculty when creating and implementing online courses. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines how a polytechnic college can address this problem by developing …

Shifting Directions: Conceiving, Implementing, And Navigating The Inherent Complexities Of Student Recruitment Customer/Constituent Relationship Management (Crm) Systems Within Higher Education, Colin Couchman

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

A Constituent (often and typically referenced as Customer) Relationship Management (CRM) system is utilized within organizations whose focus is on customer development and service. A CRM is both an organizational approach involving significant human and system processes, as well as a technological intervention. Typically, CRMs have been implemented within commercial enterprises, specifically those operations with direct contact with customers or consumers, possibly as end–users of products, or even middle–sales operators such as wholesalers and governmental agencies. Over the past number of decades, higher education institutions in Canada have developed strategic and tactical plans to more fully respond to the changing …

Helpers And Heroes, Hurdles And Highs: A Humanistic Autoethnographical Reflection On Working Class Student Experiences, Willey A. B. Dow

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research sought to answer the question of what helps working class university students at risk of withdrawal graduate from their program. An autoethnographic method was employed to systematically analyze my story, one of being a working class person navigating the higher educational system, compare the results to existing psychological research, and generate new themes, and ideas in the hope of ameliorating the experience, and increasing the likelihood of success for others. Themes, conclusions and implications for students were presented.

The Relationship Between Federal Citizenship And Immigration Policies And The Internationalization Of Higher Education In Canada, Rashed Al-Haque

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Using Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a way to do Critical Policy Analysis (CPA), this instrumental case study explores the relationships between citizenship and immigration (CI) policies and the internationalization of Canadian higher education. By utilizing a critical-sociomaterial approach, the research exposes actors and actor-networks that are otherwise overlooked in these policy areas. Moreover, this lens underscores the impacts and consequences of policy and how the enrollment and/or exclusion of actors in actor-networks enables certain actors to exert control, power, and primacy over others.

While most research on internationalization identifies the academy as the site for internationalization policy enactment, this research …

University Professors' Perceptions On Blogging As Course Assignments In Southwestern Ontario: A Multiliteracies Framework, Annie Tran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In light of contemporary trends and practices, namely the impact of globalization and the integration of new technologies being promoted in the field of applied linguistics (Byrd Clark, 2012; Kern, 2006; Malinowski & Kramsch, 2014), this study explores the perceptions of professors, who teach graduate courses in Education on the impact and adaptation of new technologies on their pedagogy; namely the use of blogging as an educational activity. This study analyzes the traditional or innovative pedagogical practice of today’s graduate professors. This qualitative case study is based on a multiliteracies theoretical framework and incorporate the following methods: a survey and …

A Critical Policy Analysis Of Internationalization In Postsecondary Education : An Ontario Case Study, Ali Khorsandi Taskoh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Using a case study approach, I investigate a very timely and significant policy issue regarding postsecondary education. While internationalization seems to be ubiquitous in universities’ policy rhetoric and statements in the Canadian context, specifically in Ontario, it is unclear what values drive internationalization and how they influence policies and initiatives at a public university in Ontario. Relying on Easton’s approach of policy as the ‘authoritative allocation of values’ and drawing on critical policy analysis, I perceive policy as ‘the practice of values’. The critical policy approach and the centrality of values in analysis require a consideration be given not only …