Higher Education Commons^™

Examination Of An Emerging Community Of Practice For Instructional Designers: A Descriptive Case Study In A Midwestern University, Jiaqi Yu, Connie Hargrave

Constance P. Hargrave

This study examined the functioning of a group of instructional designers (IDs) in higher education through the lens of Communities of Practice (CoPs). The study particularly focused on whether and how the grouping of experienced and novice IDs operated as an effective CoP from the perspective of novices. The findings indicated that a group of IDs working in a midwestern university was able to cultivate a CoP within a clearly defined domain, a well-established community, and the shared practice with a specific body of knowledge. Particularly from the perspectives of novices, they highlighted the positive impact while participating in the …

Graduate Preparation Of School Psychologists In Serving English Language Learners, Morgan J. Aldridge, Elana Bernstein, Susan C. Davies

Elana R. Bernstein

The purpose of this study was to examine the training practices of NASP accredited graduate programs in school psychology with regard to best practices in working with English Language Learners (ELLs). Training directors of school psychology programs were surveyed regarding the amount of time and the extent of instruction they provided their school psychology graduate students on the topic of ELLs. School psychology interns were also surveyed regarding both their current knowledge about serving ELLs and their perceived preparedness to serve ELLs. Results indicated that school psychology programs are not adequately preparing graduate students to serve the growing population of …

Meanings Underlying Student Ratings Of Faculty, Carolyn Ridenour, Stephen J. Blatt

Carolyn S. Ridenour

The purpose of this study was to examine how undergraduate students interpret the items on a faculty evaluation instrument. Most research on faculty evaluation is quantitative (Marsh and Bailey 1993). Our first study was also quantitative. After we produced a profile of quantitative ratings of faculty by students across all departments in our university in an earlier study, we wanted to go beneath the numbers to their meaning. We designed the present qualitative study to investigate what the items on that form meant to students.

Myth Or Reality: Catholic Inclusivity To Students From Other Religions, Nasser Razek

Nasser Razek

This qualitative study explored the multifaceted issue of cultural and religious challenges for an international Muslim group at a Catholic research institution. Measures employed by the university community to assert the friendliness of campus to students from other religions and student perceptions of the effectiveness of these measures are surveyed to reveal the inclusion of students from several religious affiliations, especially Muslim students. The study was based on in-depth interviews with Muslim students.

Data analysis revealed constructs that are pivotal to the case including consistency in affirming the Catholic identity of the university; intentionally avoiding the usage of solely Christian …

School Psychology Programs: Graduate Preparation In Traumatic Brain Injury, Susan C. Davies

Susan C. Davies

Although traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of death and disability among children and adolescents, it remains a low incidence category for special education identification. Students with TBI can present with unique educational and psychosocial needs. Using surveys administered to program directors and interns, this study explored how school psychologists are prepared to identify and facilitate appropriate services for students with TBI.

Traumatic Brain Injury And Teacher Training: A Gap In Educator Preparation, Susan C. Davies, Emily E. Fox, Ann Glang, Deborah Ettel, Catherine Thomas

Susan C. Davies

This study examines the level of training provided on traumatic brain injury (TBI) in teacher training programs. Research has shown teachers lack knowledge about the consequences of TBI and about the related services students with TBI might require. Participants included faculty members in teacher training programs in the United States. The current study revealed very little formal training on TBI is provided in teacher training programs. If provided, TBI training was more likely to be found in special education classes than in general education settings.

Graduate Preparation Of School Psychologists In Serving English Language Learners, Morgan J. Aldridge, Elana R. Bernstein, Susan C. Davies

Susan C. Davies

The purpose of this study was to examine the training practices of NASP accredited graduate programs in school psychology with regard to best practices in working with English Language Learners (ELLs). Training directors of school psychology programs were surveyed regarding the amount of time and the extent of instruction they provided their school psychology graduate students on the topic of ELLs. School psychology interns were also surveyed regarding both their current knowledge about serving ELLs and their perceived preparedness to serve ELLs. Results indicated that school psychology programs are not adequately preparing graduate students to serve the growing population of …

Inclusive And Catholic: Challenging The Myth With Reality, Nasser A. Razek

Nasser A Razek

When Social Class Meets Ethnicity: College-Going Experiences Of Chinese And Korean Immigrant Students, Eunyoung Kim

Eunyoung Kim

No abstract provided.

Redefining Pedagogy: Dialogues On Transformative Immersion, Praxis, And Reflection, William H. Robertson, Judith Munter

William H. Robertson

This article examines transformative teaching and learning in higher education today, with a focus on faculty member as change agent. Developed from fourteen months of ongoing, critical dialogue, the article describes and deconstructs faculty members’ lived experiences as scholars-practitioners in three nations and their corresponding roles in institutions of higher learning in the U.S. As multi-culturally situated practitioners, each one describes the role of diverse international/intercultural lived experiences, including Fulbright exchanges, community based research, and service-learning in and with diverse communities. The voice of an emerging scholar, (graduate student) as discussant is interspersed throughout the dialogue, connecting faculty members’ experiences …

The Education Doctorate- A Degree For Our Times, Jill A. Perry

Jill A Perry

Special Edited Issue of Planning and Changing Journal

Strategic By Design: Iterative Approaches To Educational Planning, Shannon M. Chance

Shannon M. Chance

oday’s tumultuous economic and political conditions require universities to adapt—fast. Leaders must attend to unforeseen crises, events, and opportunities in ways that align with their core missions, promote their universities’ continued existence, and help achieve disparate goals (Rowley, Lujan, and Dolence 1997). Good planning and good plans involve iteration; simple cause-and-effect thinking is no longer enough. Universities can—and frequently do—suffer when they use linear, mechanistic thinking (Presley and Leslie 1999; Rowley, Lujan, and Dolence 1998). Leaders can make too many erroneous assumptions about the future. And, when users view strategic plans as fixed road maps, they often fail to recognize …

Marriage, Children, And Aging Parents: The Role Of Family-Related Factors In Faculty Job Satifsfaction, Linda Serra Hagedorn, Linda J. Sax

Linda Serra Hagedorn

Due to changes in the academic market, faculty job satisfaction is especially critical. Using a multi-step framework, this study explores the role of family and stress related “pull factors” on a measure of overall job satisfaction for a large nationally representative sample of college and university faculty members. These “pull factors” include, but are not limited to, care for a child, spouse or elder, as well as other responsibilities and duties not directly related to one’s academic career.