Transformational Leadership Approach For Encouraging Historically Marginalized Communities To Access Admission To Naturopathic Medicine, Baljit Khamba

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Many healthcare training institutions lack cultural diversity, including naturopathic medicine. One potential reason is a lack of historically marginalized individuals applying to these medical schools. Attracting communities of colour to healthcare professions, like naturopathic medicine is important for improving healthcare access and delivery across all individuals within North America. This OIP explores the lack of diversity in applicants to the naturopathic medical program at a large multi-centre institution. The role that education and mentorship of faculty members can play to improve implicit biases and eventually encourage historically marginalized individuals to apply to the program is explored. Moreover, the OIP presents …

Enhancing Academic Preparedness Of International Students Coming To X University For Post-Secondary Education, Gurneet Singh Anand

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

International students comprise an increasing demographic on Canadian campuses and represent increasing diversity in the higher education sector. Student transitions to higher education relate to concepts of equity and inclusivity with respect to these institutions providing the best chances for all students to succeed. Similar to other higher education institutions in Canada, X University is in the unique and somewhat difficult position of navigating the effects of globalization. As X University has seen steady influxes of international students, the faculty, staff and domestic students are realizing that the international students themselves have been facing integration difficulties within the university and …

The Role Of Supervisory Officers In Building School Administrator Leadership Capacity, Drew Mcnaughton

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is based on a problem of practice (PoP) in Red Maple District School Board (RMDSB), a mid-sized Ontario school board that identifies cultivating leadership in staff as a priority. The limited leadership development opportunities for school administrators has become a challenge for RMDSB and many Ontario school districts. Limited opportunities are provided for RMDSB school administrators to authentically collaborate and engage in professional learning. Supervisory officers, who are responsible for establishing supportive system practices and providing district-level leadership, play a critical role in building school administrator leadership capacity. As a result, the OIP explores the …

Bridging Cultures: Preparing Non-Indigenous Teachers To Teach Indigenous Epistemology In A Rural Public School, Simonjay Moreton

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan looks to lay the framework to help non-Indigenous teachers challenge negative Indigenous stereotypes, overcome their fear of unintentionally culturally appropriating an Indigenous culture, and be able to effectively integrate Indigenous content into course curriculum to fulfill the First Nations, Metis and Inuit requirement of the Alberta Teacher Quality Standards. This framework leverages the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel in conjunction with the ADKAR change model to facilitate a cultural change at Ranchlands Public School, a small rural school situated in Southern Alberta. As the Principal, I intend to implement a transformational change that will institute a shift in …

Professional Development In Indigenous Education: By Teachers, For Teachers, Devin Green

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Many school boards have been developing Indigenous frameworks and funding Indigenous programming as a response to the 94 “Calls to Action” published by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015). The actions of these school boards are a form of reconciliation. Within the Southern Alberta School Board (SASB, a pseudonym), there are strong policies in place that support Indigenous students; these policies ensure the students never have to experience the unfair treatment that past generations did through the residential school system. Teachers in this school board are also supported through professional development programs to improve their practice. However, these …

Improving The Professional Capacity Of Campus Administrators At A Multi-Campus College, Jennifer E. Strickland

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The institutional knowledge gap for campus administrators (CAs) across a multi-campus college is the Problem of Practice (PoP) to be addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP). A multi-campus college has initiated a new professional development review (PDR) for CAs to improve professional excellence across the organization. The PDR launched to identify professional development needs for college managers, to improve operational efficiency, and to help the college achieve its strategic goals. CAs shoulder the responsibility for the campus-level implementation of college policies and procedures which necessitates a firm understanding of college operations and effective leadership and management skills. When there …

Community Integration Through Cooperative Education (Cice): A Post-Secondary World Fit For All, Stephanie Kathleen De Franceschi

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Students with developmental disabilities are a growing and diverse population. Higher education landscapes are becoming increasingly complex. Despite academic and personal supports available to all Ontario college students through student services centers, Marshall College (a pseudonym) is experiencing a disconnect between the stated vision, mission, and values and the Community Integration Through Cooperative Education (CICE) program and its students. Diverse views have polarized senior administration, faculty, and staff on how to adapt to having students with developmental disabilities accessing post-secondary education through the CICE program. This Organizational Improvement Plan explores the organizational context of Marshall College and proposes an improvement …

Transformation Through Trust And Authenticity: Improving And Aligning Service Learning In An International Baccalaureate School, Christopher Wallace

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme places service learning at the core of its curriculum. Yet, challenges with implementing it successfully are omnipresent in international schools. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to support teachers with the implementation of service learning projects at a private, non-profit international school in Western Europe. It is guided and framed by a Problem of Practice (POP) that addresses the current state of service learning at Mountain Range School (MRS) where curriculum and independent service projects are inconsistently designed, implemented and supported. It includes an evaluation of school policies, curriculum, teacher capacity, resources and systems. …

Devising A Strategic Approach To Increase Faculty’S Competence For Formalized Intercultural Teaching And Learning Opportunities In An International School In Africa, Kristine Greenlaw

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The international school is a unique site where a diverse community of host country nationals and expatriates come together to participate in a transnational learning experience. Within this context, the international school is challenged to deliver a culturally responsive learning program with intercultural learning opportunities to meet the needs of a diverse learning community. In addition, it is perceived that with intercultural competence, an international school graduate can gain competitiveness for post-secondary institution admissions and job market movement in an increasingly globalized economy. This organizational improvement plan problematizes a lack of strategy to improve intercultural teaching and learning at a …

Enduring Indigeneity: Community Consultation As A Process For Indigenizing Curriculum At A College In Ontario, Camille C. Di Iulio

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its report which included 94 Calls to Action to address the legacy impacts of the Indian Residential School System in Canada. With education at the forefront of reconciliation, Call to Action #62 calls on post-secondary educators to integrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit content into their curriculum, to Indigenize teaching and learning within an education system built on Eurocolonial worldviews. A post-secondary institution located in southern Ontario (referred to by the pseudonym SCAAT) is making decolonization an institutional priority, especially as it is aligned with their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) …

Cultural Awareness And Change Management: Embracing The Benefits Of Merging A Community College With A University In Atlantic Canada, Paul M. Brett

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The organizational merger of two post-secondary organizations is fraught with synergies and complications that lend themselves to positive and negative outcomes of the joining. The need for a consolidated credential pathway model that defined the academic and administrative authorities of the merged organization was required. The organizational improvement plan (OIP) reviews the historical context of Ocean Institute of Eastern University (OIEU) to uncover the cultural underpinnings of resistance that exhibited themselves. While blind resistance exists within almost every organization, including true ideological resistance, within the context of OIEU, most of the resistance is rooted in political resistance, where some feel …

Partners In Education: Leveraging School Social Workers To Support Transformative Equity And Well-Being Work In An Ontario K-12 Public School Board, Stefani F. Burosch

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

School social workers (SSWs) have been an integral part of Ontario’s K-12 public education system for over one hundred years. Their unique training, skill set, and practice perspectives enables provision of comprehensive services benefitting the whole school community. The social work profession is grounded in a code of ethics committed to the advancement of social justice for all and draws from a rich history of critical theorizing and evidence-based practice to further this goal. These features of the profession ideally position SSWs to serve as leaders and partners in the school mission, particularly at a time when the need for …

Building Stem Teacher Capacity At A South American International School, Daniel Yamasaki

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Although originating in the United States, STEM education has gained acceptance worldwide as an inquiry-based, interdisciplinary approach engaging students in active learning. Despite the ubiquity of STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, schools face challenges in providing professional development for teachers. This dissertation addresses a lack of adequate professional development to support STEM implementation at an international school in South America. Based on a constructivist assumption that teachers’ beliefs, cultures, and experiences mediate their learning, a mentoring program was selected as the most viable solution strategy. Mentoring provides a pathway for mentees to enact new strategies with their mentor’s support promoting …

Privilege, Power, And Marginalization: Creating Teacher Alliances For An Inclusive International School Community, Clarence Kerry Best

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

NXS began as an experimental bilingual school in a major urban city in Taiwan. Over its twenty-year history, the school transitioned from offering English language instruction for local students to a fully WASC accredited and IB authorized World School. The foreign staff grew from a few staff to comprising two-thirds of the 150-teaching faculty. Despite the size and potential impact of foreign teachers, they have no voice in the school, are excluded from setting the direction of the school, and are largely absent from the life of the school community. Limited opportunities for advancement and intense competition result from few …

Disrupting The Status Quo: Leveraging Collective Teacher Efficacy For The Achievement And Wellbeing Of Bipoc And Low Socioeconomic Students, Marjorie E. Macdonald

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

At Mel Morgan Middle School (MMMS) a high percentage of students are of low socioeconomic status (SES). Compounding this problem is data which shows that students at MMMS also experience significant academic challenges. Educational challenges for students of low SES are like those experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC). Faculty beliefs and assumptions about how to effectively educate students from low SES and BIPOC communities are posited as a problem beyond their control. Despite the Legacy Regional Centre for Education’s (LRCE) commitment to student success through policies and documents such as student success planning, inclusive education, …

Igniting Change In Equity, Diversity And Inclusion At A Canadian Community College Coll, Jennifer Phyllis Gorman

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan addresses the need to develop an equity, diversity, and inclusion strategy that will lead to systematic institutional and cultural change at Mountain College (a pseudonym). This organizational improvement plan draws upon transformational and ethical leadership principles to gain support and momentum from across all levels of the College to develop a shared vision for change and reach the new organizational state. Bolman and Deal's (2013) four frames have been used as a strategic tool to examine Mountain College and identify the actions and decisions the team can take in the organizational improvement process. Following this analysis, …

Improving Stem Graduate Students' Mental Health And Wellbeing, Aneesa Khan

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

An emerging problem with graduate education is the unprecedented rise in mental health and wellbeing concerns across higher education institutions in Canada. Graduate education is widely associated with emotional, physical, and psychological stress. Graduate students are at risk of the onset of mental health illnesses due to a culture of acceptance that graduate studies is synonymous with stress and anxiety. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores approaches to improve the mental health and wellness of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) graduate students to promote their personal wellbeing and academic success. The goal of my Problem of Practice (PoP) is …

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 …

Strengthening A Culture Of Collaboration Through Intentional And Strategic Collaborative Practices, Jimena Zalba

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Collaboration can inspire professional learning, improve teaching practices, and impact student learning and well-being. Yet, not all types of collaboration yield these desired results, as is in the case of Elementary School (ES) at Paradise International School (PIS; a pseudonym). This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) presents a problem of practice (PoP) that addresses the lack of intentional and strategic collaborative practices at PIS. Within a pragmatic worldview, this OIP is grounded in a socioconstructivist theory, one that frames three chosen interrelated leadership models: transformational, constructivist, and distributed. A synthesis of these theoretical foundations results in three leadership principles and 10 …

Addressing The Overall Dissatisfaction Of The First-Year Student Experience In University, Christopher E. O'Gorman Mr.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

The concept of student experience has caught the attention of administration in postsecondary institutions, so much so, that they have dedicated departments that deal entirely with the experiences of students on campus. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the students’ overall dissatisfaction with their first-year university experience. The focus of this OIP is to provide a solution that will improve the overall experiences that students have. The OIP begins by introducing the organization through a PEST analysis and provides a framework for the problem of practice, utilizing secondary data that is publicly available. Utilizing structuralist theory as the theoretical …

Building Leadership Capacity For The Effective Implementation Of A Professional Development Tool In K-12 School In A Region In Arctic Canada, Sonia Osbourne

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to identify and remediate the organizational factors that are presently leading to the faulty delivery of a professional development framework (PDFM) tool in an educational organization in the Canadian Arctic. Implementation of change initiatives in organizations is a complex undertaking and can be further complicated by contextual factors such as culture. In this region, a large percentage of students are Inuit, and teachers and school leaders are both Inuit and non-Inuit. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ), translated as Inuit traditional knowledge, is a foundation upon which education is delivered in the region. Therefore, this organizational change …

Improved Regional Education Delivery: Reach For The North Program, Elizabeth Anne Sommerfeld

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) has outlined the change plan for a problem of practice for consideration of the education mandate at MY-U’s multiple regional campuses. The overall goal of this plan is to have increased the availability of academically rigorous courses for our regional students. An assessment of the readiness of several stakeholders allowed for a student-centred focus within the political, collegial and organized anarchy paradigms in which the university organization exists. A strategy is discussed to address issues in the administration and university culture while breaking down silos for the multiple campuses. A new organizational framework is offered …

Leveraging Technology To Increase Access To Training For Registered Nurses Working Remotely In The Community And Home Health Care Sector, Hilary Dogbeson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Registered Nurses (RNs) are expected to ensure their professional knowledge and skills are up-to-date in order to be competent and remain in good standing with their licensing body. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on promoting staff competency by addressing the problem of limited access to training for RNs who work remotely at the Community and Home Care Company (CHCC). A review of the literature suggests that staff training is essential, and there are many benefits to improving staff training, which include increased productivity, efficiency, and enhanced employee knowledge and skills. With an increase in remote employment, an increasing number …

Improving The Learning Environment Through Communication: A Systems Perspective, Allison Charlotte Alexander

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The call centre can be best described as an organizational system with three sub-systems made up of 15 sections. Systems are impacted by their environment and respond by outputting their own impact onto the environment (Jones, 2013; Kast & Rosenzweig, 2017). In the case of the call centre’s system, the environment is the caller (client), and the impact is the increased complexity in the types of questions asked. The call centre was impacted by clients who posed complex questions, and the system responded by outputting incorrect information to its clients (Internal Report, 2015). Internal research revealed that the system was …

Through The Eyes Of A Consultant: Leadership Succession Planning In An International School Setting, Hoda Etemad

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Research has shown that school leadership significantly influences institutional success and student achievement. Yet, studies indicate that in many school systems around the world, there is an absence of thoughtful and methodical leadership succession planning. The problem of practice addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan is the lack of an equitable, systematic, and transparent approach to leadership succession planning in an international school in Country A. Using this school as the basis for this study, systems theory (Senge, Hamilton & Kania, 2015) guides a “whole-system” discussion for developing and implementing an equitable, systematic, and transparent succession planning framework. Through the …

Supporting Teacher Retention In A Proprietary Asian School, Andrew Shutsa

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores how best to support Green Planet Academy (GPA; a pseudonym), an international school in a large Asian city, in improving teacher retention beyond initial two-year contracts. The problem of practice that is addressed is the current low retention of teachers and lack of a plan to retain them. Through a variety of lenses, including a social constructivist worldview, self-determination theory, distributive leadership, and transformational leadership, the specified problem of teacher retention problem is framed and analyzed. Teachers moving around to various international schools is not out of the ordinary, indeed it is almost expected, …

Exploring The Role Of Collective Teacher Efficacy In Closing Achievement Gaps: A Review Of An Urban District Model School Program, Folusho B. Abayomi

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Urban Academy is one of Urban Diverse School Board (UDSB)’s model schools situated in Ontario, Canada. A model school program was created to provide students with equitable access to resources and learning opportunities. Despite UDSB’s commitment to equity and inclusion, this urban school continues to experience persistent achievement gaps when aggregate data are analyzed. Based on student data, the achievement gap has been strongly connected to demographic factors such as low socioeconomic status (SES) of the parents. Educators’ beliefs and assumptions of low SES as an external factor posit achievement as a dilemma beyond teachers’ control. This Organizational Improvement …

Institutionalizing Blended And Distance Learning In Language Teaching At A Research University, Martine Rheaume

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly exploring innovative strategies to adapt to the 21^st century changing institutional context and to respond to the students’ needs and expectations. Given that technology in all its forms is ubiquitous in Education, one of HEIs’ strategical responses is the implementation of blended learning (BL) and distance learning (DL) as new pedagogies in all faculties. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) examines how a language department, part of the Faculty of Arts in a large research-focused University, can integrate BL and DL in language teaching. As this change is a significant departure from the current …

Towards Intercultural Understanding And Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Building An Internationally Minded School, Meaghan Higginson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

As an International Baccalaureate school in a diverse Canadian city, Welton Academy’s (pseudonym) vision is to be a world-class, academic school with a focus on shaping students into globally minded, engaged citizens. The demographics of the school are changing, as the student body is becoming increasingly more ethnically diverse. Currently, one of the school’s strategic missions is focused on international mindedness. Although the school’s vision to promote international mindedness includes global engagement and multilingualism, the area of intercultural understanding is not identified. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores a Problem of Practice (PoP) that highlights the need to develop intercultural …

Building Capacity: A Cycle Of Change For A Non-Profit Clinical Service Organization, Sarah Drexler

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) need clinical behavioural services. A lack of capacity within non-profit agencies results in children and families often waiting for long periods of time to receive services. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to address a Problem of Practice (POP), namely, a lack of capacity within a clinical service agency to provide sufficient behavioural support to the number of children with IDD in its service area. The OIP includes an examination of the organizational context, factors influencing wait times for service, and the organization’s ability to implement change. Multiple solutions to address …