Adult and Continuing Education Commons^™

The Perceived Benefit Of A Degree Requirement In Emergency Medical Services Education And Success, Joseph H. Wood

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Introduction: This study sought to assess how graduates of Wallace Community College's paramedic program impacted their readiness for the NREMT Paramedic examination and entering the workforce, specifically comparing those who completed an associate degree to those who completed the certificate program. Methods: This qualitative study analyzed the perspectives of graduates from the paramedic program using a phenomenological approach. Using a purposive sampling technique, nine graduates were chosen for one-on-one interviews, and six were selected for a focus group. Results: Analysis of participant responses revealed three main themes: the perceived value of a degree, student preparedness for the NREMT exam and …

Udm Dean's Report - A Look At The Student Of Today As We Prepare Them For Tomorrow, Mert N. Aksu Dds, Jd, Mhsa, Cert. Dph

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

UDM Dental School Dean Mert N. Aksu discusses the profiles, expectations, and challenges of modern dental students, highlighting their collaborative nature, tech-savviness, and focus on wellness and work-life balance. The report outlines UDM's clinical curriculum enhancements, including systems-based biomedical integration, and extensive clinical practice labs. Aksu addresses the substantial 58% inflation-adjusted rise in educational debt since 2008 and updates on community service rotations (Corktown Clinic, Titans for Teeth), the implementation of the new Vermont Track for rural care, the adoption of AI radiographic analysis, and comprehensive student mental health support programs.

Um Dean's Report - Meeting The Challenge Of Educating Dentists In A Constantly Evolving Profession, Jacques E. Nör

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

University of Michigan School of Dentistry Dean Jacques Nör highlights the school's historical legacy during its 150th anniversary and details recent academic, clinical, and research progress. Key developments include the establishment of the state-of-the-art Digital Dentistry Center for in-house digital workflows, a pediatric certificate program in Social Epidemiology funded by a $2.1 million federal grant, the transition to Epic electronic health records (integrated with MyChart), and the community-based collaborative care rotation program in Marquette. The report also highlights national faculty leadership roles and $24.1 million in research funding.

Beyond The Binary: Strengthening Nursing Students’ Proficiency Of Equitable Health Promotion, Martha K. Findley

Theses

Background: Sexual and gender diverse (SGD) populations continue to experience significant health inequities, yet prelicensure nursing curricula often lack structured, evidence‑based training to prepare students for equitable care.

Purpose: This study evaluated whether a targeted, transgender‑focused simulation could improve nursing students’ clinical knowledge and preparedness for providing equitable health promotion to SGD populations.

Methods: A pre‑/post‑intervention design was used with senior‑level nursing students who completed a transgender patient simulation emphasizing communication, assessment, and equitable health promotion. Students completed a validated survey measuring knowledge and preparedness in caring for SGD patients.

Results: Significant improvements across most survey items demonstrated that the …

The Negotiated Identities Of Refugee-Background Women During Resettlement, Iuliia Fakhrutdinova

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Refugee-background women experience unique challenges while resettling in the U.S. as they navigate complicated transnational gender roles, education gaps, migration trauma, learning a new language, and literacy in the adaptation process during resettlement, which can derail the productive paths they are on. Therefore, ignoring refugee-background women’s unique experiences and failing to understand their identities prevents our society from doing social justice and creating a space for a smooth adaptation to the new context. Language plays a paramount role in identity formation, as it moves away from the belief that identity is an essential concept. For refugee-background women during resettlement, their …

Truly Blown Away — Humanistic Lens Looking At Glassblowers’ Creative Thinking: A Qualitative Case Study, Yugant Patra

The Qualitative Report

This study examines how emotional and cognitive engagement shape glassblowing artists’ decision-making and artistic outcomes throughout the creative process. Using a qualitative case study methodology, the study examines how glassblowing artists conceptualize, execute, and refine their work by balancing their artistic vision with the medium's technical demands through a humanistic lens. Five themes emerge, which are discussed: the identification with self – confronting the demons, I belong here, claiming the molten as my own, the reign of glass and from it fractures rising anew, and having a conversation with glass. The study closes with the need for continued research on …

Writing Together, Writing Differently: Collective Authorship As Reflective Practice, Thanh Thao Le, Trut Thuy Pham

The Qualitative Report

This article examines collective authorship as a reflective and ethical research practice within a sustained program of co-authored qualitative, post-qualitative, linguistic, and reflective inquiries into teacher reflection, professional learning, language, silence, and recognition. It offers an oral-history-informed reflective methodological account of a writing collective and asks how collective authorship became a methodological practice through our collaborative writing process. The primary materials were shared drafts, margin comments, revisions, silences, version histories, short reflective notes, and remembered writing encounters. Teacher-reflection texts and related professional writing materials from our broader research program formed the secondary materials around which the writing process unfolded. Analytically, …

Academic Development As Mentoring In Online Education: Perspectives From Australia., Bopelo Boitshwarelo Dr, Claire Aitchison Dr

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

In recent years, Australian universities have intensified efforts to respond to the growing demand for remote and online study. This shift has underscored the need for academics who are appropriately prepared to design, develop, deliver, and evaluate high-quality online courses. Mentoring represents a key practice that can support the development of such expertise. However, formalized and well-established mentoring practices are not consistently present across Australian higher education institutions. In contrast, most universities maintain academic development units tasked with enhancing teaching capacity, particularly in relation to online learning. This paper conceptualizes aspects of academic development practice as a form of mentoring. …

Paragliding The Cliff Edge: Introducing Open Mic Studies. A Creative Response To Navigating The Post-18 Landscape For Young Adults With Send., James Tarling, Charlie Robinson, Nick Hall, Sammy Shepherd

Plymouth Interdisciplinary Education Open Journal

This conceptual article investigates novel ways of thinking about Open Mic Nights (OMN) – performance spaces understood as free, community arts and performance opportunities where the members of the public are welcome to perform music, poetry and comedy in front of an audience. For the purposes of this article, music-related OMN that take place in pubs or community centres are discussed.

The article is intended to be a primer for OMN studies that offers new and emerging trailheads for future research and discussion. Its central focus is how OMN may benefit the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) community with …

The Effect Of Escape Room Simulation On The Self-Efficacy And Communication Levels Of Novice Critical Care Nurses, Lauren A. Femino, Kim Chapman, Julie A. Marshall, Shelby A. Trull, Jennifer A. Dibenedetto

The Lahey Journal

Abstract 

Introduction: Novice critical care nurses often report having low self-confidence and effective communication skills when transitioning to the ICU practice, often due to stress, limited experience, and unfamiliarity with critical care environments. These challenges can not only affect their job satisfaction and retention rates, but also pose serious risks to patient safety and outcomes. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to assess the impact of an escape room simulation on the self-efficacy and communication skills of novice critical care nurses.

Methods: An evidence-based practice (EBP) project with pre-test and post-test design was conducted to …

Remixing Dialogue: A Case Study On Perceptions Of Hip Hop Pedagogy In A Professional Learning Course, Kelly J. Thelen

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This qualitative case study examines how teachers’ decision-making and professional autonomy shift while participating in a Hip Hop Pedagogy Professional Learning course supported by structured FIXIT (Lo & Wachter, 2023a, 2023b, 2023c, 2023d; Wachter & Lo, 2024) game-facilitated dialogue in a rural, culturally and linguistically diverse Midwest community. Grounded in Freire’s (1970) Critical Pedagogy, Ladson-Billings’ (1995) Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (Paris and Alim, 2017), and Adult Learning Theory (Knowles et al., 2005), the study explores the reclamation of agency by teachers in a time of constrained creativity and educator autonomy shaped by strict policy environments, an emphasis on …

Supporting Neurodivergent Students In Communication Sciences And Disorders: Best Practices Integrating Udl And Tilt In Academic Courses, Jacqueline A. Towson, Nancy Mcintyre, Alexis Cunha

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

In this tutorial, we explore effective andragogical strategies to support neurodivergent students in higher education programs, specifically within academic course in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD). By integrating the evidence-based education practices of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework, faculty can create inclusive and supportive learning environments in academic courses to better support neurodivergent students in CSD programs. We discuss practical applications of these frameworks through two sample assignments, supported by recent research, and provide actionable recommendations for faculty in higher education. The goal of this tutorial is to …

Advancing Occupational Therapy Practice: Evaluating A Continuing Education Module To Support The Integration Of 3d Printing Into Clinical Care, Sophia Wilkes, Rebecca Ozelie

Student Journal of Occupational Therapy

This study aimed to evaluate whether a continuing education module could improve occupational therapy practitioners’ perceived knowledge, awareness, confidence, and clinical utilization of 3D printing in occupational therapy practice, while also examining how access to resources may influence implementation A 14-week cross-sectional pre–post design was used with occupational therapy practitioners participating in a one-hour educational session followed by a three-week trial of 3D printer access. Participants completed pre- and post-surveys assessing perceived knowledge, awareness, and confidence, and maintained a utilization log to track clinical use.

Results indicated a statistically significant increase in perceived knowledge and awareness of 3D printing following …

Literacy Hubs: Human-Centered, Coordinated Approach Towards Advancing Adult Literacy In A Community, Alexandria M. Marzolf

Masters Projects

Low adult literacy skills have been a pervasive and persistent challenge in the United States for more than a century. One in five adults (21%) possesses low literacy skills (National Center for Education Statistics, 2026), a finding consistent with statistics reported by the National Literacy Institute (2024). Despite decades of educational reform, many adults continue to experience limited access to coordinated, community-based literacy support. The purpose of this master's project was to develop a community-based Literacy Hub framework designed to increase access to adult literacy learning opportunities through coordinated partnerships and community engagement. An extensive review of educational research, community …

Belonging & Whole Person Formation In Graduate Education: A Conceptual Framework For Student Flourishing, Cynthia L. Hickman

Posters

Graduate students experience substantial academic, personal, and professional demands that can negatively affect well-being and persistence. For students enrolled in professional programs, belonging may develop within two overlapping communities: the academic institution and the emerging profession. Institutional and professional belonging can provide connection, support, engagement, and opportunities for identity and professional development. This paper synthesizes literature on these two forms of belonging and proposes a conceptual framework describing their potential relationship with whole-person formation and flourishing. Whole-person formation extends graduate education beyond knowledge acquisition and professional competence to include development across interconnected dimensions of the person. Within the proposed framework, …

From Fragmented Services To Integrated Support: A Proposal For A Centralized Adult Learner Center, Paul Cullen

Masters Projects

Research shows that higher education institutions provide a wide range of resources to their students. However, limitations in availability, accessibility, and navigation create a fragmented experience for adult learners. This fragmented experience often exacerbates barriers experienced by adult learners, such as difficulty navigating decentralized services and lack of availability outside standard business hours, that negatively impact the learner experience and outcomes, resulting in reduced persistence and retention. This project proposes a solution to this fragmentation and shows how the digital transformation in higher education can be utilized as an enabling approach to improve availability, accessibility, and navigation of services for …

A Constructive Engagement With Confucian Gender Ethics: Reinterpreting The Three Obediences And Four Virtues In Contemporary Vietnam, Vo Van Dung

Comparative Philosophy

This paper examines the influence of the doctrines of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues on the moral thought of Vietnamese women in contemporary society. The study addresses the central question of whether and how these doctrines remain relevant within current social and cultural contexts. It traces the historical introduction and transformation of these doctrines in Vietnam. It analyses their dual impact on women’s moral values, highlighting both their enduring ethical contributions and their role in sustaining gendered constraints. The findings suggest that while certain elements of the Four Virtues have been reinterpreted and selectively integrated into modern ethical frameworks, …

Evaluating The Motivations Of Participants In Online Equine Extension Courses, Sarah Vos

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Traditional program evaluations emphasize participant demographics, knowledge gain, behavior change, and program impact. However, evaluating participant motivation can provide addition insight into why participants enroll in extension programs and help explain participant engagement and persistence throughout a program. The purpose of this study was to evaluate participant motivation in two online equine extension courses and examine potential relationships between motivation, demographics, and course delivery method, and describe participant engagement in Virtual Horse Judging Camp (VHJC). This cross-sectional study utilized convenience sampling of participants in two online equine extension courses, Horse Adult Leader Training and Educational Resource (HALTER) and VHJC. The …

Empowering Future Educators: How Service-Learning Shapes Teacher Candidate Self-Efficacy And Understanding Of Book Access, Nancy F. Hulan, Morgan S. Major

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Literacy rates are historically low in areas where access to books is limited. Thus, students with limited exposure to books prior to school pose a unique challenge to teachers, who often feel unprepared to teach students from underserved populations. To help remedy this, teacher candidates need preparation that builds their abilities to provide both access to books and quality literacy instruction for students who live in poverty. The study described in this article investigated the impact of literacy-related community engagement on teacher candidates’ self-efficacy, their understanding of book access, and their perceptions of teachers’ roles in providing book access. Participants …

Staying The Course: Community College Student Lived Experiences On Program Completion And Motivation, Jessica Leigh Mills

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of former community college students who successfully completed an associate degree, certificate, or program of study and to understand how they experienced the personal, institutional, and environmental factors that supported their persistence to completion. The study, guided primarily by Tinto’s (1975,1988) Model of Student Departure and was complemented by Bandura’s (1988) Social Learning Theory (SLT), and Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs, explored the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations students attributed to their successful completion of their associate degree, certificate, or program of study. Twelve former community college students who …