Online and Distance Education Commons^™

Refugee Higher Education And Participatory Action Research Methods: Lessons Learned From The Field, Hadas Yanay

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Refugee access to higher education is devastatingly low. Recognizing the complex barriers facing refugee learners, global educational initiatives are innovating flexible learning models which promote blended online and in-person learning modalities. This article describes the implementation of a five month, online-based internship pilot offered to 21 refugee participants in qualitative and quantitative research methods, through a participatory action research (PAR) framework in five different countries -- Malawi, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, and Lebanon. The internship is part of the Global Education Movement (GEM), which brings refugees accredited online college degree and career development opportunities. Through direct engagement, observation of the …

Open Source Micro Diplomas: New Credentials For New Learning, Jack F. Powers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The standard model for college in America—a four-year bachelor’s degree that teaches critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and written communication skills—is unaffordable and unattainable for most Americans. Only about a third of citizens aged 25 and over have achieved a baccalaureate degree or better. Two-thirds are left behind in precarious jobs that pay substantially less and that are losing ground. Everyone from politicians to parents repeats the mantra of “college for all”, but the reality is more like “college for the socio-economically gifted.”

At the same time, the modern world of work is evolving into a more complex, technical, and computerized …

University Education For The Creation Of The Black Middle Class: Kigali, Rwanda, Chrystina L. Russell

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drawing on theories documenting the advantages and disadvantages of the growing Black middle class, this dissertation examines how higher education functions in creating a middle class citizenry in developing countries. The underlying premise of this dissertation is understanding how technology and education operate in tandem to simultaneously alleviate and perpetuate economic as well as social inequalities. Therefore, this project will contribute to research on the growing Black middle class in the developing world, and will offer insight into a “blueprint” of how technology and education operate in tandem.

This dissertation is a case study—employing mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) approaches—examination …