Higher Education and Teaching Commons^™

The New Road Chosen: An Examination Of Why Black Educators Are Choosing Alternative Certification Pathways, Devin Aucoin

All Dissertations

This narrative study explores the experiences of eight Black educators who entered the teaching profession through alternative certification programs. Alternative certification programs were originally designed to address teacher shortages by providing individuals with a college degree a fast-track route to teacher licensure; however, research reveals an extreme shortage of Black educators and a growing number of Black educators completing alternative certification pathways. Grounded in Black Critical Theory (BlackCrit) and Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this study examines how anti-Blackness impacts the Black educator pipeline and how self-efficacy beliefs, perceived outcomes, personal goals, and contextual variables influence career decisions. Findings reveal …

Culturally Relevant Or Cultural Cover: Understanding Acue’S Fostering A Culture Of Belonging, Drew Le

Honors Theses

Colleges and universities are increasingly utilizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Diversity training (DT) is one kind of DEI initiative designed to help faculty and staff, but it is understudied, especially for higher education. This study seeks to expand the literature by examining the Association of College and University Educators’ (ACUE) Fostering a Culture of Belonging (FCB) course, its participants’ experiences, and its effect on students rooted in Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP). Using mixed methods, this study collected faculty participant interviews and contextualized any changes based on analyses of student course evaluations. I report …

Developing Standard Operating Procedures For The Dewitt Town Clerk’S Office, Noura M. Osman

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

ABSTRACT OF PROJECT

Developing Standard Operating Procedures for the DeWitt Town Clerk’s Office

This project addresses the operational inconsistencies in the DeWitt Town Clerk’s Office in Syracuse, NY, by creating a structured Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) manual. The focus is on six high-impact processes: tax collection, water bill payments, dog licensing (new and renewals), marriage license transcript requests, and handicap parking permit issuance and renewal. Each SOP includes visual info-graphics to enhance accessibility and minimize errors. The final product is designed to improve on-boarding, reduce staff reliance on memory, increase efficiency, and align with creativity and change leadership principles.

Double, Double, Toils And Troubles: Analyzing The “Magical” Relationships Between University Leaders’ Personality Traits And Their Self-Efficacy In Leadership Situations, Fay Ludvine Boudreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, …

Culture And Context: How Frames Of Teaching And Of Learning Mathematics Form And Change For Graduate Student Instructors, Johan Benedict A. Cristobal

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Why do instructors teach the way that they do? This question is key in understanding how and why asset-based or deficit-based practices are enacted in the classroom. In consequence, this question also gives insight into how the environment where students learn is shaped. Mathematics education research, in particular, has been concerned with how instructors respond to students’ contributions in the classroom and how these ways of responding can (dis)empower students.

One way to answer this question is to understand how instructors frame their own teaching and their students’ learning. Frames are mental constructs which help individuals filter details, interpret information, …

Treading Lightly: The Ethics Of Instructor Il/Legibility And Neutrality In The Classroom, Marcus A. Woodman

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Instructors in the classroom often describe their experiences teaching as being a performance, which often combines authenticity with boundaries to keep certain aspects of the instructor’s life out of the classroom. For queer instructors, their performance may be especially complicated; since queer identity is less visible than other types of identities, instructors must also weigh whether or not to come out to their students. In our current political moment, where queerness has yet again become a scrutinized topic (especially when in proximity to youth), teachers have an even more difficult decision to make.

This thesis uses queer theory and queer …

Reading Between The Lines: A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Teachers’ Understanding And Implementation Of The Science Of Reading, Karen L. Dumas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the nation, the science of reading (SoR) is sweeping through schools, realigning instructional practices, altering curricula, and causing a shift in educators’ ideologies. Therefore, exploring teachers’ understanding of the science of reading and the classroom implementation may offer valuable insights for school leaders, policymakers, and educators during this period of transition. This explanatory sequential mixed methods investigation researched SoR knowledge and implementation of K-3 general education teachers in Pennsylvania.

This study took place in two phases: quantitative followed by qualitative. During the quantitative phase, 141 K-3 teachers in Pennsylvania participated in the Teacher Understanding of Literacy Constructs and Evidence-Based …

Student Performance And Course Modality: The Relationship Between Outcomes, Modality, And Course Subject, Olivia Baxley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify if a significant relationship existed between teaching modality and student performance outcomes while also considering the factor of course subject being taught during the 2021-2023 academic years. Three courses were included in the research: Math 1630 Finite Mathematics, English 1010 Composition I, and Biology 1110 General Biology. Each of the three courses are introductory level courses in the math, English, and science subject. The study also included statistical analysis on gender as related to student performance outcomes.

The findings presented of this research showed a significant relationship between teaching modality and …

Culture And Context: How Frames Of Teaching And Of Learning Mathematics Form And Change For Graduate Student Instructors, Johan Benedict Arroyo Cristobal

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Why do instructors teach the way that they do? This question is key in understanding how and why asset-based or deficit-based practices are enacted in the classroom. In consequence, this question also gives insight into how the environment where students learn is shaped. Mathematics education research, in particular, has been concerned with how instructors respond to students’ contributions in the classroom and how these ways of responding can (dis)empower students.

One way to answer this question is to understand how instructors frame their own teaching and their students’ learning. Frames are mental constructs which help individuals filter details, interpret information, …

May 2025 Cafe Newsletter, Center For Advancing Faculty Excellence

CAFE Faculty Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Professional Development Needs Of Traditionally And Alternatively Certified Career And Technical Education Teachers In Virginia, Natalie Ferand, Bradley Bowen, D. Brett Milliken

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The Virginia Department of Education allows for various paths to teacher licensure. Teachers may graduate from an approved teacher preparation program or obtain a teaching license through alternative pathways. This study identified the professional development needs of traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers in Virginia by administering a statewide survey. The participants were divided into three groups: alternatively certified CTE teachers (Group 1), traditionally certified teachers in a non-CTE area and then received a CTE endorsement (Group 2), and traditionally certified teachers in CTE (Group 3). By comparing how teachers from each of these certification pathways reported their level of …

Breaking The Pipeline: Exploring Exclusionary Discipline, Restorative Justice, And The Attitudes And Beliefs Of Educators, Ericka J. Varnedoe

Honors College Theses

This study explores the connection between exclusionary disciplinary practices and the school-to-prison pipeline. It highlights how exclusionary discipline, including suspensions and expulsions, disproportionately affects marginalized groups such as students of color, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ youth, further contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline. In contrast, restorative justice, a non-punitive approach, offers a promising alternative. Initially adopted from the criminal justice system, restorative justice has been integrated into school environments to foster positive school climates, improve experiences, and mitigate challenging behaviors. This research examines educators' attitudes toward both exclusionary and restorative practices, as well as their awareness and implementation of restorative …

What Factors Impact Teachers’ Beliefs About The Likelihood To Which Their Students With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities Can Live On Campus, Jonathan Lidgus

Dissertations

After the Higher Education Opportunity Act was passed in 2008, inclusive postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disability (ID) have grown on campuses across the United States. These programs were designed to eliminate barriers that prevent students with intellectual disability from attending college in order to achieve positive employment outcomes and skills to increase independent living. While programs may be designed for those with intellectual disability, individuals may have multiple diagnoses, including intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The relationship between a student and their secondary teachers can positively impact their future or present a barrier. Using the data from the …

Developing A Trauma-Informed Pedagogy Workshop Series For Faculty: Empowering Student Learning And Healing At Grand Valley State University, Hayley F. Wilson

Masters Projects

Higher education institutions (HEIs) face increasing student populations affected by trauma, presenting significant barriers to academic success and emotional well-being. Between 40% and 84.5% of college students have histories of trauma (Forster et al., 2019; Smyth et al., 2008), while approximately half experience trauma during their first year of enrollment (Galatzer-Levy et al., 2012). Exposure to trauma disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students, further compounding educational inequities (Portell, 2019, as cited in Gunderson et al., 2023). Although trauma-informed care (TIC) has emerged in applications within education, formalized professional development opportunities for faculty to implement trauma-informed pedagogy …

Sjsu Erfa Board Minutes, March 3, 2025, San Jose State University, Emeritus And Retired Faculty Association

SJSU ERFA Minutes

SJSU ERFA Executive Board Minutes

March 3, 2025

What's Hot And What's Not In Teacher Education: Preservice Teachers' Perspectives On Topics In Education Perceived As Important And Urgent In 2025, Elizabeth Y. Dale

Student Academic Conference

This study explores the perspectives of preservice teacher candidates on the topics in education they perceive as the most important and urgent in preparing for their first year of teaching. Utilizing quantitative methodology, the study aims to identify and prioritize educational topics preservice teacher candidates believe are critical to their professional development. Participants are asked to rate the topics based on two criteria: urgency and importance. Each topic is rated on a scale from 0 to 5, where 0 indicated unfamiliarity with the topic, 1 indicated low urgency or importance, and five indicates high urgency or importance. The findings will …

Relational Spiritual Knowing As An Educator Of Color: Navigating Predominantly White Educational Settings, Alicia L. Moore

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

Abstract: This article explores the critical role of Relational Spiritual Knowing (RSK) as both a source of strength and a form of activism for African American educators navigating Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Through personal reflections and scholarly correlations, it examines how RSK empowers educators to assert their voices and identities in environments that have historically marginalized them. The integration of RSK into educational practices is presented as essential for creating more inclusive, equitable, and spiritually enriched academic spaces. The article also highlights the systemic challenges faced by African American educators, such as power dynamics, microaggressions, and tokenism, and how RSK …

Precarious Pedagogy: A Critical Autoethnography Of Adjunct Labor, Erin V. Howell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following autoethnographic study explores the experiences and use of adjunct faculty within the neoliberal higher education landscape. Adjunct faculty comprise most of the contemporary professoriate, accounting for nearly 75 percent of higher education instructors. Precarious labor practices, lack of job security, and limited institutional support often characterize adjunct employment. The use of adjunct labor and the vulnerability of their positions are impacted by structural inequities perpetuated by academic capitalism. By privileging the experiences of adjunct faculty, this study contributes to an ongoing conversation about labor practices and inequities in higher education. This dissertation examines the ways in which adjuncts …

The Impact Of Dual Enrollment On Educational Aspirations Of Traditionally Underrepresented Students In Community College, Wayne Carter, Carol Gruber

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

This research study examined the difference in academic motivation and academic self-efficacy of traditionally underrepresented students in community college who previously participated in high school dual enrollment programs versus their comparable peers without dual enrollment experience. This is important given the socio-economic disparities between the various student groups participating in this selective college preparatory program. Historically, traditionally underrepresented students have yet to participate in dual enrollment programs commensurate with their non-minority and affluent peers. By examining the difference between these two specific student subgroups, the researchers addressed what types of motivation and self-efficacious behaviors affected these college students who opted …

Pols 322/622: Race And The Law: Report On Course Project Using Primary Sources From The Moakley Archive, Maye Henning

Suffolk University Archives OERs and Assignments

Professor Henning describes her (and her students') experiences using primary sources from the Suffolk University Archives. The Spring 2025 Race and the Law course (POLS 322/622) was an upper-division and graduate-level political science course designed to develop students’ research skills, particularly in locating, interpreting, and integrating primary and secondary sources.

The centerpiece of the course was a semester-long archival research project that culminated in a public exhibit in the display case outside of the Sawyer Library titled Resilience: Finding Power in the Voices of the Past.