Higher Education Commons^™

Students' Performance On Institutional Learning Outcomes, Cheryl R. Norman

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

In response to increased attention within higher education to develop essential learning outcomes, faculty and administrators have worked to measure students’ performance in relation to these outcomes. Students’ learning is often measured through standardized tests or students’ perception of their learning, rather than authentic learning that is connected to the curriculum. This study incorporated results from one institution’s involvement in the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) project to assess learning outcomes using the Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) rubrics. The learning outcomes assessed included critical thinking, quantitative literacy, and written communication. The purpose of this …

International Students Adjustment To College: The Relationships Between Adjustment, Background Characteristics And Student Success, Ghulam Yahya Ahmadi

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

Abstract

This quantitative study examined the relationships between international students’ background characteristics, adjustment to college and academic success in the United States. An online survey questionnaire was sent to all graduate and undergraduate degree-seeking international students (935 students) studying in Saint Cloud State University in the spring semester 2016 and 149 (nearly 16%) completed questionnaires were returned. The data was collected using a modified version of Student Adjustment to College Questionnaire developed by Gomez et al. (2014). Independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA tests were used to study the relationship between students’ background characteristics and five adjustment sub-scales. Multiple …

The Development Of Critical Thinking Skills In Undergraduate Students, Karla J. Saeger

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

This quantitative study investigated whether alternative instructional approaches to develop critical thinking, exemplified by different general education requirements in two different Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) institutions, impacted the development of critical thinking skills among undergraduate students. This study is framed by Ennis’s classification of general, infused, immersed, and mixed instructional approaches.

St. Cloud State University and Winona State University, two MnSCU institutions, share a collective definition of critical thinking and a common goal of developing critical thinking in undergraduate students. St. Cloud State University and Winona State University do, however, differ in approaches to fulfilling the goal area …

Past, Present, Future: Times Of Change For Continuing Education Units In Higher Education Institutions, Gail M. Ruhland

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

This is a qualitative multiple case study that analyzes and compares the purpose, roles, and drivers of change for continuing education divisions in public, four-year, post baccalaureate, comprehensive higher education institutions in the United States. The research stems from a historical standpoint. This study also examined processes carried out by continuing education leadership to demonstrate quality and accountability to their higher education institutions. This investigation focuses on the distinctive drivers that have triggered and influenced changes in continuing education units within higher education institutions.

The findings from this study illuminated areas in need of development and enhancement of continuing education …