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Full-Text Articles in Higher Education
Achieving Equitable Support For Adjunct Faculty Using Upside-Down Change, Katherine Ann Andrushenko
Achieving Equitable Support For Adjunct Faculty Using Upside-Down Change, Katherine Ann Andrushenko
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Lifelong learning equips members of society to face their greatest challenges, which is the moral purpose of higher education. Online continuing education (OCE) serves this purpose well. In recent years enrollments for OCE have outpaced enrollments for more traditional education and the number of adjunct faculty facilitating OCE continues to rise. However, these adjunct faculty do not enjoy the comfortable respectability afforded to faculty facilitating full-time education. The organizational culture in higher education institutions (HEIs) is bifurcated between continuing and full-time education, with OCE assumed to be a poor substitute for full-time education. Consequently, adjunct faculty receive inadequate and inequitable …
Building Global Skills: Broader Concepts Of Internationalization In An Ontario College, Mariam Raza
Building Global Skills: Broader Concepts Of Internationalization In An Ontario College, Mariam Raza
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
The Canadian federal government, national associations, and internationalization scholars have identified the need and demand for Canadian students to acquire global skills and competencies during their post-secondary education. Opportunities to acquire global skills can be offered through a wide variety of global engagement programs, such as study-abroad exchange programs, faculty-led excursions abroad, and other programs that allow students to interact with the global world. However, these programs are costly and do not consider the significant financial resources students require to participate in such activities. Most at-home students are left out of global engagement programming and therefore do not have the …
Addressing Issues Of Trust And Power Gap By Empowering Middle Leaders In An Asian International School, David R. Butler
Addressing Issues Of Trust And Power Gap By Empowering Middle Leaders In An Asian International School, David R. Butler
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
This Organizational Improvement Plan explores trust, leadership, and power at True North Academy (a pseudonym), a Canadian-themed international school in Asia. The Problem of Practice (PoP) recognizes a gap between the school’s current collaborative practices and its aspirations being a cutting-edge learning organization. Recent events, especially the global pandemic, have highlighted the school’s reliance on traditional hierarchies and top-down decision-making. Unpopular decisions made without staff input have damaged teacher trust in the leadership, raised concerns of a staff exodus, and stalled ongoing improvement of school programmes. Within a theoretical framework of social constructivism, a plan is proposed to address the …
Reconceptualizing Support For Students With Low Language Proficiency In Transnational Higher Education, Jennifer E. Howard
Reconceptualizing Support For Students With Low Language Proficiency In Transnational Higher Education, Jennifer E. Howard
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
In a bid to remain competitive and respond to the forces of globalization, higher education institutions are increasingly focusing on internationalization, with English-medium instruction (EMI) as one of the key strategies for achieving this. While most institutions provide dedicated language support in the form of English for Academic Purposes programs, consideration is rarely given to the pedagogical requirements placed on disciplinary faculty for instructing non-native English-speaking students in degree programs. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines how the learning and teaching capacity of disciplinary faculty can be developed to support the language needs of students with low language proficiency at …
Cultural Awareness And Change Management: Embracing The Benefits Of Merging A Community College With A University In Atlantic Canada, Paul M. Brett
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 …
Building Educator E-Pedagogy Skill Efficacy And Capacity To Successfully Engage Students In The Online Learning Environment, Karen M. Roeck
Building Educator E-Pedagogy Skill Efficacy And Capacity To Successfully Engage Students In The Online Learning Environment, Karen M. Roeck
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Students around the world are increasingly seeking options for completing their learning in an online format due to its convenience, flexibility, and opportunity for innovative experiences. Higher education institutions need to adapt their course offerings to include robust online programs and train their faculty with the necessary skills to successfully engage their virtual learners to remain competitive in today’s market. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) identifies gaps of inadequacy of infrastructure to support online learning, limited knowledge of e-pedagogy, lack of clarity about teacher identity, and lack of focus on equity and humanity in the online classroom at a Christian …
Moving Toward Wellness: A Transformative Approach To Addressing Inadequacies In Mental Health Supports For Indigenous Youth In Residential Treatment Resource, Tsion Tekie
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Indigenous youth are overrepresented in the child welfare system in Canada. Organization X, a Ministry of Children and Families program provider, has made significant efforts to address the needs of Indigenous youth in care, including creating the Residential Treatment Resources (RTR) program. While behavioural-focused RTR program is an important step in the right direction, the program fails to address the causal mental health needs, which has resulted in high numbers of recidivism among Indigenous youth after discharge. After careful review of the literature, the possible solutions revealed mental health counselling is a vital supportive resource required for this population. Additionally, …
Improving Stem Graduate Students' Mental Health And Wellbeing, Aneesa Khan
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 …
Exploring The Impact Of Performance-Based Funding Policy Reform: The Role Of Institutional Research In Supporting Data-Driven Decision-Making, Jelena Dukic
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
The institutional pressures placed on the Ontario college system, exercised through funding model reform, brought forward organizational challenges difficult for even the most fiscally savvy to navigate. The enrollment corridor mechanism and the expansion of the proportions of the differentiation envelope to create a performance-based grant, implemented via the 2020-25 Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA3), demonstrate the Provincial Government’s calls for efficiencies and accountability and the alignment of institutional and provincial priorities. Remaining financially sustainable while moving from performance reporting to performance funding and weathering the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic requires a solid understanding of not only enrollment challenges and …
Improving Faculty Capacity To Support Student Mental Health, Nishma Bhaloo
Improving Faculty Capacity To Support Student Mental Health, Nishma Bhaloo
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Mental health issues are on the rise among students at postsecondary institutions (PSIs), necessitating a campus-wide initiative to address growing concerns about mental health problems among students. Extending the circle of care model to include faculty ensures the timely delivery of support and services to address students’ mental health needs. This integrated approach also enables faculty to respond to students’ needs and direct students to the appropriate resources. However, faculty must be equipped with the knowledge needed to recognize the signs of mental health issues among students to positively impact students’ overall health and well-being. Improving faculty capacity to support …
The Growth And Development Of Institutional Reputation, Neil A. Mort Mr
The Growth And Development Of Institutional Reputation, Neil A. Mort Mr
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Higher education institutions spend considerable effort developing and maintaining quality educational programs and experiences for their students. However, these great programs and experiences can become best kept secrets if the institution is unknown. A positive reputation can contribute to student recruitment; successful career placement for graduates; greater retention of students, faculty, and staff; overall student satisfaction; and greater opportunities for the institution. A poor reputation, on the other hand, can negatively impact its success in recruitment; graduate career placements; and student, faculty, and staff retention. How does an institution develop and build a positive reputation and become more widely known …
Addressing Student Attrition In An Era Of Evolving Student Demographics, Christine Sawchuk
Addressing Student Attrition In An Era Of Evolving Student Demographics, Christine Sawchuk
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Student attrition is a concern for all organizations that provide education, as high levels of attrition can have a significant impact on an organization’s finances and reputation. Online learning provides access to individuals of varying educational and experiential backgrounds who may not have otherwise embarked in an education or training program (referred to here as “Underserved Students”). While education supports personal and professional growth, if students feel that an Education Program is not meeting their needs in terms of curricular relevance or student support, attrition will likely result. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses a problem of practice concerning high …
Strategic Planning In A Higher Education Context, Kimberley A. Laush
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 …
The Strategic Adoption Of A New Service Delivery Model Within An Ontario College’S Registrar’S Office, Jordan W. Charron Mr.
The Strategic Adoption Of A New Service Delivery Model Within An Ontario College’S Registrar’S Office, Jordan W. Charron Mr.
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Postsecondary institutions are continually striving to improve the experience their students have on campus. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the lack of a strategic approach to the implementation of an integrated services model within an Ontario college’s registrar’s office (RO). Preemptive College (PC; a pseudonym), along with many other Ontario institutions, is facing an increasingly competitive landscape; providing a high-quality student experience has been identified as a way to differentiate the institution from its competitors. The adoption of an integrated services delivery model within the RO is one aspect of the institution’s overall plan to enhance the student experience. …
Improving The Capacity For Collaboration Between Accessibility Services And College Faculty, Mitra Gorjipour
Improving The Capacity For Collaboration Between Accessibility Services And College Faculty, Mitra Gorjipour
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Failing to provide access to students with disabilities can have far-reaching consequences for the student, society and the higher education organization (HEO). Facilitating access is a particularly sensitive task in the context of college education, considering the reliance of college faculty on practical methods of instruction and the complex needs of academically at-risk students enrolled at these organizations. In such a setting, faculty and accessibility services need to communicate, consult and collaborate seamlessly in order to provide support and ensure access for this student population. The problem of practice addressed here concerns overcoming barriers to cross-functional collaboration between faculty and …
Improving Online Student Engagement In The Online Classroom, Emily Chen-Bendle
Improving Online Student Engagement In The Online Classroom, Emily Chen-Bendle
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
This Organizational Improvement Plan seeks to address inadequate online student engagement within online classrooms at University X. Inadequate student engagement risks students’ learning, persistence, performance, and academic achievement (Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzi, & Gonyea, 2008; Meyer, 2014; Pardo, Han, & Ellis, 2016; Phan, McNeil, & Robin, 2016), demonstrating the pressing need to improve online student engagement. This work is undertaken in the context of substantial growth in online education, accelerated in the short term by a movement to online delivery of face-to-face post-secondary education necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. The author considers this problem from a non-traditional leadership …
Interdisciplinary Explorations: Setting The Stage For Change Through Understanding Culture And Attending To Psychological Safety In An Ontario Community College, Louise Chatterton
Interdisciplinary Explorations: Setting The Stage For Change Through Understanding Culture And Attending To Psychological Safety In An Ontario Community College, Louise Chatterton
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Central to this Organizational Improvement Plan is the desire to close the gap between a curriculum that is disciplinary-centric to one that is more interdisciplinary. This change will better prepare college graduates for the future skills required in the workplace where increasingly complex problems require interdisciplinary solutions. While this may, at first, appear to be solely about the curriculum, the problem is that moving from a disciplinary to an interdisciplinary mindset involves disturbing deeply rooted disciplinary boundaries and, in turn, challenging faculty identities. In order to influence the culture of College X towards interdisciplinarity, the cultural context of the institution …
Creating A Culture Of Data-Informed Strategic Enrollment Management At A Canadian Higher Educational Institution, Shawna M. Matthews
Creating A Culture Of Data-Informed Strategic Enrollment Management At A Canadian Higher Educational Institution, Shawna M. Matthews
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Higher education institutions are focusing significant energy to attract and retain students through strategic enrollment management (SEM). This organizational improvement plan (OIP) addressed the lack of a data-informed approach to strategic enrollment management at a small Canadian University campus. Although the SEM process is complex, without a data-informed approach to SEM, institutions are wasting their time and resources. This organizational improvement plan used a cultural change approach as well as a combination of authentic and distributed leadership approaches to provide a solution to the problem of a lack of data-informed strategic enrollment management at a Campus X. With enrollments almost …
Building Capacity: A Cycle Of Change For A Non-Profit Clinical Service Organization, Sarah Drexler
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 …
Aligning International Curriculum Standards And Practices With National Quality Assurance Frameworks, Tina Annette Stephenson
Aligning International Curriculum Standards And Practices With National Quality Assurance Frameworks, Tina Annette Stephenson
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
This Organizational Improvement Plan proposal will consider how the directors of our group of international schools can begin the work of aligning values, standards and practices to meet the needs of both the individual international schools and the nationalized quality assurance frameworks -- working with individual school principals in our home nation. The international school system provides alternatives to local and expatriate parents in an ever-increasing number of schools across the globe. As this number of international school increases, so too does the number of those schools which are required to align their international curriculum standards and practices with nationalized …
Institutionalizing Community Engaged Scholarship At A Research University, Stephanie Hayne Beatty
Institutionalizing Community Engaged Scholarship At A Research University, Stephanie Hayne Beatty
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
Higher education institutions are increasingly investing in community-university partnerships as a mechanism for strengthening relationships with the local community, expanding experiential learning (EL) opportunities for students, and supporting faculty in community engaged scholarship (CES). This organizational improvement plan (OIP) examines how a research-focused university can institutionalize CES so that faculty members feel supported and rewarded for their efforts to link teaching and research to community priorities. Using both transformational and distributed leadership approaches, as well as Kotter’s (1996) change model, in combination with Norris-Tirrell, Lambert-Pennington, and Hyland’s (2010) social movement model, the proposed change plan focuses on organizational structure, and …
Leadership, Teacher Learning, And Assessment: A Strategic Approach To Improving Writing Achievement, Tommi Hoogsteen
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 …
Re-Imagining A Learning Program For New Faculty: An Opportunity To Enhance Institutional Capacity, Carol A. Appleby
Re-Imagining A Learning Program For New Faculty: An Opportunity To Enhance Institutional Capacity, Carol A. Appleby
The Dissertation in Practice at Western University
This case study of one Ontario, mid-sized community college explores collaborative leadership processes and practices to shift the structure and conceptualization of a learning program for newly hired faculty members from a prescribed, linear model to a self-directed, multi-modal program. Examining organizational structure, institutional culture, adult learning theory, and systems thinking, the question, how can a professional development program best support new faculty in their teaching practice and new role, is addressed. The Change Path Model, grassroots and relational leadership practices are strategies utilized to guide the process for change. A distributed leadership approach is advocated to share decision making, …