Education Commons^™

Designing Effective Online Courses: Exploring The Relationships Amongst Online Teaching Self-Efficacy, Professional Development, Online Teaching Experience, And Reported Implementation Of Effective Higher Education Online Course Design Practices, Elizabeth Mcmahon

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

How best to prepare and support higher education faculty to design and teach effective online courses is a topic of great significance to higher education institutional leaders and faculty developers. This study explored how hours of professional development along with online teaching and learning experiences were related to online teaching self-efficacy and the extent to which participants reported implementation of effective online course design practices. Using a non-experimental quantitative correlational explanatory research study design, data were collected using a questionnaire. Participants included 104 online faculty from a large public higher education system located in the upper Midwest that includes both …

Core Self-Evaluation Theory In Qualitative Research: Extending A Quantitative Theory Into A Qualitative Framework To Study Community College Faculty., Patria Lawton

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The use of qualitative research in higher education has long been underutilized, specifically when examining community colleges. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the need for more qualitative research focusing on the lives and work of community college faculty and to introduce the reader to Judge et al. (1997) Core Self-Evaluation Theory (CSE). The article describes the rationale and process of utilizing CSE as a viable theoretical framework in qualitative research. The author discusses the way in which CSE was extended from a traditional quantitative measure to a qualitative framework by walking the reader through a study which …

Engaged Social Media In Higher Education While Avoiding The Label Of "Striving", Jessica Nerren

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Striving has become a word laden with problematic meanings in the world of higher education. For instance, if a university is too aligned with business, or becomes overly selective, or deviates from original purpose or mission, then, at times, those actions are seen as striving (O’Meara, 2007). O’Meara (2007) defines striving as participation in efforts to improve status and prestige in line with the hierarchy. Allen (2021) echoes the problematic nature of this practice witnessed abroad, equating striving educational practices with neoliberalism, potentially overshadowing primary purposes of the institution, such as learning and teaching, or drowning out important parts of …

Why Study Abroad: Differences In Motivation Between Us And International Students, Phillip Haisley, Catherine Grandorff, Osasohan Agbonlahor, Sylvia L. Mendez, Mandy Hansen

Journal of Global Education and Research

Globally, collegiate students possess distinct drives, opportunities, and constraints that influence their choices regarding if, when, and where to study abroad. This research explored the study abroad motivations of US students who were studying in other countries as well as international students who were studying in the US. Data was collected using a cross-sectional survey constructed from pre-existing study abroad motivation instruments. Human capital theory and the push-pull model of international education flow were used as the theoretical frameworks grounding this study’s survey. A principal components analysis helped determine the most parsimonious number of latent motivation constructs in the survey. …

(Re)Imagining A Dialogic Curriculum: Humanizing And Epistemically Liberating Pedagogies, Parise Carmichael-Murphy, Josephine Gabi Dr

Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice

This paper is a call to university leaders across the United Kingdom to stand in solidarity with racialized and racially minoritized students by embracing humanizing and epistemically liberating practices that open up possibilities for authentic dialogue and action. This dialogue should seek to resist the barriers which have resulted in the marginalization, and often systemic discrimination of racially minoritized students within higher education. We seek to illuminate the revolutionary leadership of university students, who have initiated the movement toward racial representation, multiple truths, and a more equitable curriculum that subverts the violence of Western cognitive imperialism. Black feminist thought informs …

Creativity In Science, Engineering, And The Arts: A Study Of Undergraduate Students' Perceptions, Dildora F. Beaulieu

Dissertations and Theses

Creativity is widely recognized as being invaluable for human development and a crucial 21^st century talent. Preparing students for an uncertain and complex world requires that higher education promote students' imagination, originality, curiosity, and flexibility and build their capacity to take risks to try new approaches to problem-posing and problem-solving. However, little is known about how undergraduates enrolled in different disciplines view creativity. This quantitative study at a university in the northwestern United States assessed how undergraduate students in different academic disciplines responded to an instrument on creativity measurement developed by Dlouhy (2012). The study asked: How do undergraduates …

Education Licensure Candidates During The Time Of Covid-19: University Supervisors’ Reflections About The Forgotten Few, Andrea M. Wilson, Cheryl Burleigh

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Education at K–12 through university levels has faced extraordinary upheaval in the time of COVID-19. As universities and K–12 school systems struggled independently to adapt to rapidly changing demands, teacher and administrator licensure candidates were confronted with unprecedented challenges in both worlds simultaneously. The licensure candidates were the forgotten few, stuck between higher education and K–12 education, while struggling to keep up with the demands of their personal lives and professional futures. With limited guidance from their universities and school systems, licensure candidates turned to their university field placement supervisors for direction. In response, supervisors became adaptive leaders and flexible …

Impact Of Organizational Support On Faculty Commitment To Academic Accreditation In Higher Education Institutions, Yasser F. Hendawy Al-Mahdy, Nesreen Salah El-Din, Aisha Al-Harthi

International Journal for Research in Education

The study aimed to identify the degree of perceived organizational support (POS) of faculty members and their commitment to academic accreditation (CTAA). Then, it explores the effect of POS on CTAA, gender, nationality, and administrative positions on them. Participants included a convenient sample of 221 faculty members from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. Data analysis included measures of central tendency and structural equation modeling to conduct confirmatory factor analysis and build regression models. Results showed moderate degree of faculty POS and high level of CTAA. Significant gender difference is also observed for POS, with male faculty members showing higher POS …

Iranian Students’ Experience Of K-12 And Higher Education: Use Of Drawings To Convey The Difference Between Ideals And Reality, Iman Tohidian, Abbas Abbaspour, Ali Khorsandi Taskoh

The Qualitative Report

The focus of education during K-12 and Higher Education (HE) in Iran is on theoretical empowerment of students; therefore, our students get an illusion of knowing. In fact, what happens is not learning and understanding; rather, it is verbatim transfer of available information in the textbooks into the students’ minds. It might be because the students and teachers (as the main stakeholders of the education) are the least powerful parties within the pyramid of power amongst educational practitioners and policymakers. It means their voice, feedback, needs, and ideologies have no place in the educational decisions and policies. In alignment with …

The Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On First-Generation, Low-Income And Rural Students In Indonesia And Vietnam: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study, Rian Djita, Bich Thi Ngoc Tran, Nguyet Thi Minh Nguyen, Budi Wibawanta

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact worldwide, affecting 600 million students in higher education institutions across 200 countries. However, comparative studies by country on this topic are limited. In this paper, we explore the question: how has the COVID-19 pandemic affected higher education students and which ones have been impacted the most? Indonesia and Vietnam are our focus. We leveraged a rich set of data collected online from college/university students from both countries involving over 2600 participants, and used regression analyses to measure the students' outcomes, including the dimensions of their wellbeing, financial hardships, access to technology, and …

The Internationalization Of A Sexual Violence Policy, Kristin J. O'Rourke

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

ABC University (ABCU; a pseudonym) is a Canadian university that has seen a significant increase in international students in the past several years. Institutional infrastructure has not fully adjusted to the new student demographic, meaning that processes, policies, and resources still cater to domestic student needs. The problem of practice (PoP) addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is the lack of intercultural perspectives and international student considerations represented in the ABCU 2020 sexual violence policy draft. Policies that protect student health and well-being must be inclusive and responsive to the needs of the student population. Drawing on recommendations outlined …

Supporting Faculty In Responding To Distressed Students, Karolina E. Kulinska

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The increased numbers of students struggling with mental health problems require faculty to increase their competence and confidence in working with distressed students. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), I explore this problem of practice, pursuing improved mental health literacy among higher education faculty and an enhanced ability to recognize signs of distress and employ role-appropriate interventions. A mentally healthy and supportive learning environment improves student engagement and academic achievement; therefore, it is pedagogically relevant. Well-being and mental health-related knowledge and a helpful network of colleagues can help faculty respond to distressed students. This OIP is rooted in the Okanagan …

Different Strokes: A Critical Race Discourse Analysis Of The Experiences Of Four Black Women Rowing For A Predominantly White Institution (Pwi), Carol Schoenecker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collegiate athletics has the remarkable ability to serve as a catalyst for positive and widespread social change and identity formation. For Black women, the formation of identity comes with the added intersections of race and gender in addition to sport. Collegiate rowing is one of the most heavily scholarshipped sports coming out of the passing of Title IX legislation in 1972 and requires no previous rowing experience for participation (Garran, 2012). Despite the opportunity for rowing to serve as an access point for innumerable young athletes to obtain financial and social support through a pathway to higher education, there remains …

Indigenous Women In Science: A Proposed Framework For Leadership, Knowledge, Innovation, And Complexity, Tracy Woodroffe, Ruth Wallace, Kathy Guthadjaka, Johanna Funk, Elaine L. Maypilama, Sarah Ireland, Renee Adair, Robyn Ober, Samantha Armstrong, Anne Lowell, Kellie Pollard

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Indigenous engagement in tertiary education has been contentious in Australia for many years. This was brought sharply into focus with the 2012 review into higher education, which highlighted a lack of parity for Indigenous Australians. One of the solutions to a lack of parity in participation could be the concept of a dual academy. A dual academy approach to higher education would incorporate both Indigenous and Western knowledge systems equally. Conversations and thinking about Indigenous participation and engagement in higher education led to an opportunity to coordinate a series of workshops. These workshops, conducted in Darwin, Alice Springs, and Galiwin’ku …

A Mixed-Method Study On The Mentor Experiences At A Public 4-Year University, Avisinia Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Traditionally, students sign up for peer mentoring programs to receive services and resources as mentees in order to be successful in college. Studies have shown that mentoring relationships benefit mentees (Salinitri, 2005; Morales, 2009) while others (Colvin and Ashman, 2010; Gannon and Maher, 2012; Good et al. 2000) examined how mentors received training to support mentees. The studies exploring the experiences of mentors is not as robust, this study tries to explain the self-reflection unexpected benefits of mentors who participate in peer mentoring programs.

This mixed-method study examined the experiences first-generation peer mentors have at a pubic four-year university. Though …

Virtual Student Engagement Through The Admissions Process, Sonya Hernandez

Leadership Education Capstones

Students pursing higher education are inundated with information meant to recruit them to the college or university. Institutions compete for a prospective student’s attention through multiple mediums and platforms (Hagedorn, 2006). It is to the institutions benefit to continue to update recruitment practices to maintain a competitive advantage. The university admissions office central role is to recruit students and implement recruitment strategies. The COVID-19 global pandemic forced admissions offices to pivot efforts into increasing or relying solely on virtual student engagement to meet safety requirements. The transition highlighted the need to fill gaps in virtual student engagement initiatives and knowledge. …

Leadership Qualities Of Female Presidents Serving The Tennessee Colleges Of Applied Technology System, Kelli Kea-Carroll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to examine the leadership styles and characteristics of leadership of 11 female presidents in the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology system. The administrators’ perceptions of successful leadership, desirable outcomes of institutional leadership, and improvements resulting from perceived successful leadership styles that guided each participant’s work as a technical college president were examined. Using the research questions guiding this study, data were collected from individual, in-depth interviews with each female, technical college president. The analysis of the interviews identified the leadership styles of democratic, situational and participative as being the most common among …

Understanding The Experience Of Mid-Level Community College Change Leaders, Kelley L. Conrad

Dissertations

This qualitative study investigates the phenomenon of leading major change as a midlevel administrator or faculty member at a Michigan community college. Specifically, this study explores how three leaders experienced their roles in implementing the guided pathways strategic change initiative, how they describe the emotional aspects of leading change, and how they made sense of their experiences. One overarching research question guided this study: How do guided pathways leaders at Michigan community colleges experience their roles in the strategic change process?

The results of multiple, in-depth interviews are presented as three profiles, one per participant, using their own words to …

The Traditional Student Myth: A Multiple Case Study On The Experiences Of Traditional Students With Nontraditional Student Characteristics, Stephani L. Greytak

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple case study was to describe the perceptions of institutional support and services of traditional-age students with nontraditional characteristics at Kansas universities. The central research question for this study was “How do traditional students with nontraditional characteristics experience institutional support and services?” The study was guided by organizational learning theory (Argyris & Schön, 1974). Research was conducted at two four-year universities in the state of Kansas and involved 10 students ages 18 – 24 enrolled or recently enrolled in college, who identified with at least one nontraditional characteristic. Data were collected using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, focus …

Embracing Complexity To Foster Program Adaptation At A College In Ontario, Paula Benbow

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The knowledge, skills, values, and confidence needed to practice dental hygiene safely, effectively, and ethically are evolving. Healthcare and the higher education landscapes are becoming increasingly complex. Despite the increased curricular competencies, emerging research about positive aspects of baccalaureate dental hygiene education, and out-of-province trends towards degree education, Bayview College continues to only offer a diploma credential that is specific to dental hygiene. Diverse views have polarized faculty on how to adapt the dental hygiene program so that it better meets professional, community, and societal needs. This Organizational Improvement Plan explores the organizational context at Bayview College and proposes a …

Strategic Planning In A Higher Education Context, Kimberley A. Laush

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) stems from the need for a clearly defined plan to guide initiatives to be implemented in the School of X. Strategic planning is instrumental in higher education (HE) settings and is critical in framing the values, missions, and goals of postsecondary institutions. Engaging stakeholders in meaningful and purposeful ways will help to create a clear direction for the School of X. Exploring the organization’s readiness for change and examining solutions for the identified problem of practice (PoP) frames the basis of the OIP. To evaluate the best strategy for the change process and to achieve …

Enhancing Employee Engagement At A Higher Education Institution: A Leadership Development Framework, Kacem Habiballah

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The low levels of employee engagement at a school within a Higher Education Institution is the Problem of Practice (PoP) addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP). The results of an employee engagement survey revealed that faculty and staff yearn for feedback, mentoring, and recognition from their academic managers. The survey also indicated that academic managers lack the necessary skills and time to coach and mentor their direct reports. The principles of interpretive theory, coupled with adaptive and servant leadership are foundational elements of this OIP, and are leveraged to help address the PoP. Studies have shown that the quality …

What Makes For A Career In Higher Education?, Charles Bicak

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Reflections on a career in higher education, offered by UNK Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs Charlie Bicak.

Teacher Professionalism In Light Of Biometric Controls On Teacher Mobility And Autonomy, David L. Knott

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, I investigate the introduction of biometric technology, specifically fingerprint scanners, for the purposes of managing faculty members’ working hours at a higher education institution (HEI) located in the Middle Eastern Gulf States. Utilizing semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data, three expatriate teachers of English discussed their experiences before and after management installed the fingerprint scanners, discussing the influence such a change has on their professional identities and the additional impacts on their teaching, their identification with the institution, and the overall culture of the HEI. The results show that the existence of the fingerprint scanners adversely affects …

The Factors That Facilitate Graduate Learners’ Participation In Online Training Programs: A Qualitative Case Study In Egypt, Niveen Salah

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored graduate learners’ perceptions of the factors that facilitate their participation in online training programs to advance their careers. The study adopted a qualitative approach and took place at the American University in Cairo (AUC), via Zoom. The study conducted virtual, semi-structured interviews with 10 participants who are currently attending online training courses in the Engineering and Science Services Department (ESS). It aimed to understand graduate learners’ perceptions of the factors that facilitate their participation in online training programs and advance their careers. The study participants perceived online learning as the future of higher education and lifelong learning …

Faculty Perceptions Of Dyadic Advising Relationships, Power, And Cultural Consciousness On College Student Learning Outcomes, Hind Albana

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

Academic advising in institutions of higher education lack consistent assessment and evaluation of practices impairing the ability to define the role, objectives, and methods utilized. Over-reliance on student satisfaction surveys for evaluating advising reinforces this phenomenon. To break the cycle, this study used survey responses from a nationwide sample (N = 156) of faculty advisors from public and private 4-year colleges and universities to examine the relationship between and among the constructs of a working relationship, shared power, cultural consciousness, and student learning outcomes. The questionnaire instrument score produced a Cronbach's alpha of .927, illustrating substantially strong internal consistency. …

Academic Advising As A Tool To Analyze The Experiences Of Students Of Color At A Diverse University, Julia Light

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the experiences that undergraduate students of color had at a diverse, private university in Northern California. This study used a qualitative methodology of phenomenological research to learn of the experiences of undergraduate Students of Color. Three participants were interviewed and asked about the resources they relied upon throughout their undergraduate experience and in the academic advising system on this campus as it related to their academic success. Critical Race Theory was used as a lens to frame the results and the findings showed the effects that family and class background had on …

Using Grit Scale Scores To Predict Retention And Persistence, Kristin Sowden

Dissertations, 2020-current

Existing theory and evidence regarding the effects of grit on a range of antecedents suggest that students reporting higher grit levels should be more likely to be retained and to persist when meeting the challenges of earning a college degree. However, like others before it, this study does not indicate support for overall grit scores on student retention and persistence outcomes. Therefore, grit should not be considered as a non-cognitive predictor for the admissions process. These null findings were present for overall grit scale scores and grit subdimension scores (passion, perseverance). One significant interaction was found between Pell recipiency and …

The Impact Of The Online Learner Advising Model On Retention And Grade Point Average, Julie Delich

Doctorate in Education

As more students experience online learning environments, the academic community must invest more energy into improving retention of these learners. The purpose of this research was to study the impact of an advising model designed to support online learners, the Online learner advising model (OLAM). This study examined new student retention in the first 3 terms and GPA outcomes to measure the impact of the advising approach. OLAM was designed to address the specific needs of online learners through bringing together elements of proactive advising, shame resilience theory, and appreciative advising.

The sample was selected from Concordia University, St. Paul …

Higher Education Business And Technology Leaders’ Behaviors That Drive Outcome Alignment, Katherine Lynch-Holmes

Dissertations

Higher education institutions (HEIs) face unprecedented challenges, including capacity alignment, financial sustainability, and even public confidence (Grajeck & Brooks, 2020; Grawe, 2019; Oblinger, 2019; Simone, 2020, Wheeler, 2020, Witt & Coyne, 2019). Financial challenges force HEIs to reduce costs by making decisions like cutting programs, laying off staff or merging institutions to reduce operating costs (Chen et al., 2019; Sellingo, 2017; Witt & Coyne, 2019). Higher education leaders (HELs) must act as trusted partners and broker technology to align processes, support, and outcomes (Luftman 2000; Petkovics, 2018; Reinitz, 2019). Unfortunately, higher education’s business-technology (BITA) alignment remains lower than other national …