Higher Education Commons^™

Talent Management Strategies And Their Role In Creating Competitive Advantage At Palestinian Universities, Alaedin K. Alsayed, Firas Al-Jadi

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

The study aimed at uncovering the relationship between talent management strategies and the competitive advantage together with revealing the extent to which these strategies affected the process of creating the competitive advantage at the Palestinian universities. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach, which used the questionnaire as a tool for data gathering. The population of the study included all the 206 employees in the supervising positions of both the administrative and academic staff in the largest Palestinian universities in the Gaza Strip, the sample of which was 166. The study concluded that there was a relationship between all the …

2021-12-13 Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Undergraduate Curriculum Committee meeting minutes for December 13, 2021.

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 …

Supporting Students With An Autism Spectrum Disorder In Engineering: K-12 And Beyond, Jennifer L. Kouo, Alexis Hahn, Sarah Morton, Jay Gregorio

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities, including individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. With the importance of STEM skills in future employment and other disciplines, effective instructional strategies must be identified to enhance early and sustained access to STEM for students with ASD. However, the literature identifying effective STEM-specific supports and practices for this population of students is sparse and regarding engineering, there are no empirical studies that focus on teaching engineering skills to students with ASD. Therefore, the article aims to provide an overview of the available literature on the perspectives …

Financing Public Higher Education In Afghanistan: Alternative Sources And Options, Hassan Aslami

Doctoral Dissertations

Adequate financing is key to achieving the priority goals of higher education – access, quality, and relevance. In Afghanistan, the demand for higher education has increased remarkably while public higher education institutions still rely heavily on inadequate government funding. In addition, the constitutional provision guaranteeing free higher education up to the bachelor’s level in public institutions, the overall weak economy of the country, and the lack of institutional autonomy, contribute to financial austerity in public higher education institutions. This study explored alternative funding sources and options for financing public universities in Afghanistan. An integrated theoretical framework guided this study as …

A Conceptual Continuous Improvement Framework To Examine The "Problems Of Understanding" Applied Research, Silvie Maclean

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: Improving performance to meet strategic priorities, such as teaching balanced with increased applied research activities, has developed into a central, though contentious, discourse for faculty in Ontario colleges. The aim of this article is to analyze and better understand why faculty are not engaged in applied research practices.

Method: This article draws from social cognition theory and a social constructivist perspective. The literature review examines the evolution of colleges in Ontario, including the political factors and symbolic artifacts that shape values and organizational practices. This study sought to explore how a conceptual continuous improvement (CI) framework might advance …

Making Scientific And Technical Materials Pervasively Accessible, Jason J.G. White

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

In this paper, the question is explored of what policies, standards and practices are desirable to ensure that hardware, software and publications in the sciences and associated disciplines are created from the outset to be accessible to people with disabilities. Insight into this question can be obtained by considering the unique accessibility challenges that these materials pose, including complexities of notation, language, and graphical representation.

Having analyzed what sets this problem apart from broader issues of accessibility, the advantages and limitations of current international standards are reviewed, and contemporary developments in standards and policies are considered from a strategic perspective. …

Leading Leaders In Rethinking Grading: A Case Study Of Implementation Of Standards-Based Grading In Educational Leadership, Erin E. Lehmann

Journal of Research Initiatives

The purpose of this paper is to share the process of how one university instructor worked toward a shift to standards-based grading (SBG) in a graduate Educational Leadership program. Educational leadership programs use standards to guide coursework and instruction in an accountability era, but grading practices remain as subjective as they were 50 years ago. Educators of future leaders must address this need. In addition, instructors need to effectively communicate essential learning to students to understand their learning progression clearly; standards-based grading is designed to do this. The author shares best practices in grading as well as the challenges of …

Bridging The Educational Technology Gap: Issues Of Equity And Access In New York City Teacher Preparation, Christina Basias

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation employs the use of primary research, oral history, and narrative and auto-ethnography of my own experiences as a hybrid educator across both systems, and the extant gaps in educational technology, or ed tech, implementation across two of the largest urban public education institutions in the country: the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) and the City University of New York (CUNY).

This research unveils the complex web of barriers that hindered the ability for teachers to learn and adopt technologies and the gaps within and between the NYCDOE and CUNY’s teacher preparation priorities regarding ed tech prior …

Hazy Team Composition Processes: Shared Team Leadership, A Strategy To Team Excellence In Higher Education, Pervaiz Masih

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teamwork is an emergent property of efficacious organizations. Team-based and result-oriented organizational structures are gaining momentum, increasing 6% each year. Over 80% of organizations globally deploy teams by putting ordinary people to work together for extraordinary performance. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center is a unique institute that teaches foreign languages in an immersive and team-based environment. This mixed-methods research study investigated (a) the teaching team composition processes, (b) the applicability of trust and diversity in team composition, and (c) the impact of shared team leadership in the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Data were collected from 82 …

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, …

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 …

Better Together: Fostering Student-Level Intercultural Competence Through Collaborative Online International Learning (Coil) And A Collaboratively Created Assessment Tool, Wes Armstrong

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Many Japanese universities have been undergoing processes of internationalization to mitigate demographic realities that conspire against robust student enrolments. These internationalization initiatives often attract students from other Confucian-based contexts who are expected to move away from their homeland and fully integrate into an unfamiliar, Japanese environment. Resultantly, international student needs are often camouflaged by cultural similarities that favour group harmony and collectivism over more equitable approaches to learning. Therefore, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to serve student needs by fostering the development of intercultural competencies through a pilot collaborative online international learning (COIL) project open to all students, and …

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 …

Frame-Bending Quality: Leading Through Discourses Towards Equity And Student Success, Christopher F. Mcgrath

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In 2018, the Government of Ontario introduced a post-secondary accountability framework that attributes up to 60% of colleges’ annual public funding to the achievement of ten government-directed performance outcomes. The new framework’s shift from the previous enrollment-based funding model intensifies neoliberal and post-structural policy discourses of quality and accountability, further relegating social inequities to the margins of post-secondary education. At the same time, burgeoning social movements have appealed to governments and post-secondary institutions to dismantle systemic barriers that impede students from equity-deserving communities from accessing and flourishing in college. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores how a large urban college …

An Exploratory Study Of Adjunct Faculty Professional Growth Experiences, Bethany Ann Potts

Dissertations and Theses

Part-time non-tenure track faculty, also referred to as adjunct faculty, are the fastest growing instructional group in higher education, but they are provided minimal professional support from their employing institution(s). This lack of support is a problem because working conditions shape instructors' investment and efficacy of performance in their professional practice. Well established in the literature are inquiries into adjunct faculty working conditions that prioritize analysis of the organization over the lived experiences of the faculty. However, the lived experiences of adjunct faculty offer a unique and important lens from which to interrogate the impact of institutional policies and practices …

Shifting Individuals And An Organization Towards Social Justice: A Teacher Education Program Imperative, Jennifer L. Skelding

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Globalization is the interconnected national and international forces that shape and define nations, economies, and peoples and that extend to schools. Higher education institutions, and kindergarten to Grade 12 school systems, are impacted by the internationalization of teaching, research, and service in response to market- and ethically driven discourses of targeted international admissions policies. Teacher education programs are positioned to respond to the internationalized teaching and learning context to support nondominant teacher candidates and prepare future teachers for diverse classrooms post-graduation. This OIP problematizes an inconsistent strategic direction to prioritize culturally sustaining pedagogies in a diverse teacher education program located …

The Influence Of Professional Development On Teacher Self-Efficacy In Gifted Education, Keely P'Pool

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the impact of effective professional development training provided to both preservice and inservice teachers about gifted education and gifted students. This research also seeks to discover whether a notable difference exists between preservice and inservice teachers in regard to the increase in their knowledge and self-efficacy upon completion of the professional development training. A quantitative approach using a survey and a required training was used for all participants. Study participants included preservice teachers attending a southern Kentucky public university who were taking education classes as well as inservice teachers from 11 school …

Prefigurative Politics And Revolutionary Practices Within International Service-Learning: A Case Study Of The Ciee Thailand Program On Development And Globalization, Koni Denham

Doctoral Dissertations

Today's colleges and universities are prioritizing the preparation of students for global citizenship. To meet this need, institutions are focusing their study abroad and international service-learning programs to provide students with international experiences (Bringle & Hatcher, 2011). Government support for such programs is driven by advancing globalization, promoting economic competitiveness, and ensuring national security (Hantzopoulos & Shirazi, 2014). The problem, however, is that participation in service-learning does not guarantee that students will engage in further social action activities upon their return (Hartman & Kiely, 2014). A contributing factor to this lack of engagement is because participants are not gaining transferable …

Diffusion Of Innovation: Investigations Of Technology Advances On A University Campus, Melissa Shaquid Pirie

Dissertations and Theses

This multi paper format dissertation contains three separate but related papers. The three papers focus on the Diffusion of Innovation (Moore, 2014) through investigations of technological advances on a university campus. Each of the three papers highlights the work of faculty and staff who received internal university grant funding aimed at increasing innovation in technology use. The first paper covers a program built to address academic integrity issues through the regular and highly structured use of small group video conferencing as a requirement for all courses. The second paper recounts the process of creating an ePortfolio culture on campus through …

The Latina Graduate Experience At Hispanic Serving Institutions, Melanie Flores

Dissertations

Hispanic Serving Institutions are designated as such as a result of meeting the minimum enrollment of 25% full-time, undergraduate Hispanic identifying student enrollment. Though this designation is met solely through undergraduate enrollment, there is a need for services and programming to be expanded to graduate students. This study explores the experiences of Latina graduate students at Hispanic Serving Institutions with the purpose of understanding what support participants needed to persist and succeed and what HSIs are or should be doing to better to increase student outcomes and create a culturally engaging campus community.

Leader Development Of The Health Information Management (Him) Professional, Theresa Jones

Dissertations

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in leader development by examining how higher education programs in a female dominated profession assist learners in developing person-related characteristics that support leader development. A ten-part online survey was sent to directors of health information management (HIM) programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). Results suggest an opportunity for improvement in the curriculum for development of person-related characteristics critical for leadership positions. In the interest of the progression of women these results should be taken into consideration.

A Faculty-Based Approach To Engaging University Alumni, Osman Hamid

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Alumni engagement is widely defined as the level of relationship graduates have with their alma maters. Universities have an opportunity to leverage benefits from having strong connections with their alumni. Furthermore, graduates generally have a stronger affinity to the academic departments they graduated from than to the universities where these departments are based. Additionally, the fiscal and regulatory pressures facing Canadian universities within the province of Ontario highlight the advantages that come with having an engaged alumni community. The Problem of Practice (PoP) investigated in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is the lack of alumni engagement within a faculty of …

Equity By Design And Delivery Model In Online Learning: Educator And Student Perceptions And Behaviors As Leading Indicators Of Systemic Change, Miebeth Bustillo-Booth

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The purpose of this study is to explore educator and student perceptions of and behaviors in the Equity by Design and Delivery (EDD) model and its online courses as leading indicators of systemic change. The EDD model is a pilot intervention to eliminate opportunity to learn gaps at the program level in a mid-sized northwestern college in the United States. It shifts instructional behavior from individual efforts to collective approaches to limit quality variances in online courses, theorized to be a major contributor of missed opportunities to learn at high levels, by developing and delivering reliable quality courses based on …

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 …

Understanding And Enhancing The Graduate Admissions Experience For Dacamented/Undocumented Students, Taylor Ulrich

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The informal and often ad hoc nature of college admissions can deter DACAmented/ Undocumented students from applying, being admitted, or choosing to enroll in higher education. Admissions offices can serve as a resource to these students, assisting them in navigating this extensive process. The purpose of my research was to better understand the DACAmented/Undocumented graduate student experience and explore how DACAmented/Undocumented students’ needs could be better met in graduate admissions at University of San Diego. The research questions guiding my study were (1) how could I understand and enhance the DACAmented/Undocumented graduate student experience? and (2) how could I work …

Organizational Change In The Legal Education Environment: Institutional And Individual Responses To Times Of Crisis, Mary E. Wilson

All Theses And Dissertations

The Great Recession of 2008 brought great upheaval to many aspects of the American economy. At first law schools saw an increase in applications and enrollment as individuals sought an education that would lead to employment. Within a few years, however, the job market for new lawyers deteriorated. By 2010-2011, the number of applications to law schools plummeted, as did the enrollment numbers. Since tuition is the life blood of law schools, the field of legal education was faced with an unprecedented crisis. This researcher collected and reviewed publicly available data to examine the changes that occurred in law schools …

Contributing To Engineering Colleges Students' Development Through Out-Of-Class Involvement: A Survey Of Chinese Private Colleges' Engineering Students, Wanlu Li

Education (PhD) Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the primary characteristics of engineering college students’ involvement in out-of-class activities (OA) at one private college in China through the use of the translated and culturally adapted Chinese version of the Postsecondary Student Engagement Survey (PosSES 2.1). This study provides the statistical analyses of the survey data completed by 283 senior engineering students on their perceptions about their levels of involvement related to positive/negative outcomes students perceive and affective engagement. Data results showed all levels of involvement have a significant influence on positive outcomes. Besides, active involvement degree, hours, and types of …

Exploring Online Mental Health Services: A Qualitative Study For First-Year College Students, Leandrian J. Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

American first-year college students are faced with mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, which can have a negative impact on their academic performance. Research shows that students who suffer from mental illness, such as anxiety and depression, fear their condition will be perceived negatively by their peers and professors. The literature also suggests that U.S. colleges and universities can be more proactive in offering students resources for their mental health concerns to decrease anxiety and depression. It appears that absent or limited mental health resources have failed to address rising cases of student mental illness, and more specifically, …

Chronic Absenteeism At One Arkansas High School, Michelle Miller

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chronic absenteeism is a fairly new concept in education. Many schools have only started tracking chronic absenteeism with the start of Every Student Succeeds Act. The following research studied chronic absenteeism at an Arkansas High School, which answered the two research questions in this study. The first research question studied the demographics of the chronically absent student which included grade level, race/ethnicity, Special Education and English Language Learner status, and free or reduced lunch status. The second research question studied the class period of the chronic absence which included the time of day and type of class. High School X …