Digital Commons Network^™

Ai And Agency: Policy As Problem Posing In The Introductory Communication Studies Classroom, Deanna L. Fassett, Nancy Park

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This forum essay examines artificial-intelligence policy in introductory communication courses through the lens of critical communication pedagogy. It identifies a tension between institutional pressures for readily enforceable, surveillance-oriented AI policies and relational approaches that support instructors’ and students’ long-term agency. Drawing on problem-posing pedagogy, the authors argue that prepackaged policies can position teaching assistants as policy enforcers rather than reflective educators. They propose collaborative policy development as a means of fostering dialogue, ethical discernment, human connection, and critical engagement with AI’s role in communication education.

From Weaponized Doubt To Educated Doubt: Critical Communication Pedagogy’S Deconstruction Of Post-Truth, David H. Kahl Jr.

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Powerful and hegemonic entities in society disseminate post-truth messages in order to gain wealth, maintain power, and increase control. Unsuspecting individuals encounter these inimical messages and often find themselves experiencing difficulty discerning fact from fiction because they are largely unprepared to deal with this type of deceitful persuasion. Specifically, unethically utilizing principles of communication pedagogy through what I deem the post-truth process of weaponizing doubt, hegemonic actors deter people from responding and taking action. Because of this, a critical communication pedagogy is needed, utilizing dialogue to prebunk and debunk the process to help people learn to develop educated doubt that …

Creating Safe(R) Classrooms: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices In Higher Education, Shannon Pappas, Nolan Bowers, Lili R. Romann

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Trauma is a public health issue, with effects being increasingly harmful for adolescents. While instructors cannot control how students respond to trauma, they can work to create traumainformed teaching practices to support student learning and safety. Based on the principles of trauma-informed pedagogy, this manuscript details how safety, trustworthiness and transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment can be implemented in higher education communication courses. Additionally, a sixth principle, responding to the current climate, is introduced. Currently, instructors are grappling with supporting vulnerable students and answering to those in power. These practices offer insights into classroom adaptations to assist instructors in these …

Decolonizing Communication Pedagogy: Toward An Afro-Rhetorical Framework, Lionnell Smith

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay introduces Afro-rhetorical pedagogy as a decolonial framework for communication pedagogy. Building on Adam Key’s 2022 call for an Applied Africana Studies framework for public speaking pedagogy, this essay conceptualizes Afro-rhetorical pedagogy grounded in Afrocentric thought and African communication theory. Through a close reading of Molefi Kete Asante’s 2011 address on African curriculum, this essay establishes three foundational principles for Afro-rhetorical pedagogy: (a) epistemological agency, (b) decolonized knowledge production, and (c) institutional reconstruction. This pedagogical framework addresses communication education’s reproduction of white cultural hegemony by promoting African-centered principles, practices, and precepts that reposition communication pedagogy as a more liberatory …

Community Problems Need Community Solutions: Feminist Collaboration Across Campuses To Create Transformative Outcomes Through Community Engaged Learning, Elizabeth Wilhoit Larson, Jasmine R. Linabary, Ziyu Long, Kylie J. Johnson

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study presents a multi-institutional engaged pedagogy project responding to college food insecurity that involved partnerships among students, instructors, and campus food pantries from three U.S. universities. Through analysis of pre- and post-class surveys, class assignments, and instructor and community partner reflections, we argue that our feminist collaborative approach resulted in transformative outcomes in three areas: (a) heads, as the collaboration enabled critical understandings of food insecurity and how to combat it; (b) hearts, as the collaboration fostered a culture of care and (re)ignited shared passion in doing change work, and (c) hands, as the collaboration inspired actions to address …

Meeting Rhetorical And Relational Goals In Online Higher Education: Insights From A South African Case Study, Rentia Du Plessis, Diana Breshears, Luzelle Naudé Prof

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This qualitative study examines the degree to which synchronous and asynchronous online learning platforms both supported and constrained the achievement of rhetorical and relational goals in a resource-constrained South African higher education context. As online teaching practices persist in the post-COVID era, understanding how to design pedagogically sound online environments is increasingly important, particularly in the Global South where cost, access, and connectivity pose significant constraints. Drawing on the Rhetorical and Relational Goals Theory (RRGT; Mottet et al., 2006) and Kaufmann et al.’s (2016) online learning climate dimensions, the study analyzes undergraduate students’ perceptions of Blackboard Collaborate, PowerPoint voice-overs, WhatsApp, …

The Co-Educators Framework: An Illustrative Account Of Shared Pedagogical Practice And Inclusive Teaching In A Large-Enrollment Communication Course, Divya S, Man Luo, Jisha Jacob, Shahla Shahnaz Dyuti, Victoria Michelle Main

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Large-enrollment courses present structural challenges to inclusive and relational pedagogy, particularly when instructional labor is shared across teaching teams that include graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). This study examines inclusive teaching as a communicative and practical process enacted through co-education, the coordinated instructional work of faculty and GTAs. Using a diary-based reflexive design, four doctoral GTAs contributed teaching journals across one semester of an undergraduate Communication Theory course. Reflexive thematic analysis identified four themes: collaborative course design, communication as pedagogical infrastructure, equitable assessment, and reflexive care. The study offers the Co-Educators Framework as an illustrative account of how shared, communicative pedagogical …

Exploring Power In The Classroom Through The Lens Of Relational Power, Aubree A. Herman, Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter Phd

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study explores how French and Raven’s relational power model shapes student communication in higher education. Through a survey of 530 undergraduates, the research investigates how TA age and gender, and student gender, impact student perceptions of power. Results indicate that TA gender and age impact student perceptions of referent power, but not expert power; however, expert and referent power emerged as the strongest predictors of course satisfaction and intention to take future courses, while coercive power negatively predicted both outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of expertise and interpersonal interaction in the TA–student relationship and suggest that French and …

The Development And Validation Of Gains-Id, A Guidebook For Adapting Intervention Sessions For Students With Intellectual Disability, Kayla Mccreadie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Targeted interventions can equip students with intellectual disabilities (ID) with essential academic skills that support positive post-secondary outcomes. However, the lack of interventions specifically designed for this population creates barriers to equitable education. Until more interventions are developed, educators may benefit from resources that help adapt evidence-based practices to meet the needs of students with IDD.

The first manuscript introduces GAINS-ID (Guide for Adapting INtervention Sessions for Intellectual Disabilities). Based on best practices and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the guide offers examples of adaptations to various intervention components—such as time, materials, environment, …

Exploring The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence Tools On Special Education Teachers’ Workload And Burnout In Colorado: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Rawa Suhail Abu Alsamah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, special education (SPED) teachers face complex workloads, high caseloads, and extensive documentation responsibilities, contributing significantly to burnout and retention issues. The recent integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational settings presents promising opportunities to alleviate teachers' instructional and administrative demands. To better understand the impact of AI on SPED teachers, this phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of licensed K–12 SPED teachers in Colorado who use AI tools in their professional practice. This study also examined how AI tools supported workload management, as well as their perceived impacts on burnout and intentions to remain in …

Critical Policy Analysis Of Student School Board Members: From Symbolic Seats To Shared Power, Reina M. Cruz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to critically examine student voice in school boards, specifically how student representation is enacted, negotiated, or constrained in public school board meetings across multiple states. This study used a critical political analysis, multi-site, multi-year case study, as I wanted to showcase the different forms of student board memberships and the enactment of policy. In total, three school years of public regular board meetings were observed across three different school districts. The study employed a critical policy analysis to examine state statutes, district bylaws, board policies, meeting recordings, agendas, minutes, and transcripts.

I examined variations …

A Policy Analysis Of Higher Education Support For Foster Youth In The Colorado Child Welfare System, Krystal Robles

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This policy analysis examines how two Colorado laws, House Bill 22-1374 (Foster Care Success Act), and Senate Bill 22-008 (Higher Education Support for Foster Youth), aim to improve educational outcomes and long-term stability for youth who age out of the foster care system. Critical Policy Analysis (CPA) and Resilience Theory are used in this paper to examine how these policies address systemic inequities, promote resilience, and offer protective factors that support educational attainment. Using policy review, state policy comparison, stakeholder interviews, and community perspectives, I evaluated how the implementation, effectiveness, and limitations of these bills shape real-world impact. The findings …

The Invisible Poet: Stories Of Higher Education Professional Staff Program Experiences Via Poetic Inquiry Through A Wellness Dimensions Framework, Freyja Hofler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well documented that burnout and low levels of employee wellness have negative effects upon employees as well as the organizations that employ them (Gallup, 2019; Maurer, 2024; Wright & Bonett, 2007). This study was a program evaluation of the C2 Initiatives program via a constructivist paradigm, responsive evaluation approach, and summative outcome evaluation. The NWI’s Six Dimensions of Wellness model was utilized as the theoretical framework of the study and arts-based research was used as the conceptual framework.

Participants were given documents from the C2 Initiatives program as a text base to create blackout poetry, a type of …

Learning Engineering Design Through Making: Affordances Of A Nonformal Tinkering Environment, Cristina Simarro, Digna Couso

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

The maker movement has been increasingly adopted as a means for promoting interdisciplinary approaches to STEM learning. However, empirical evidence regarding how making supports the development of engineering design skills remains limited and inconclusive. This study provides an in-depth examination of a nonformal educational initiative grounded in tinkering, a creative and improvisational subset of making, by analyzing the tasks undertaken by primary school children in a tinkering setting. Our results confirm the capacity of tinkering activities to foster specific engineering design practices and elucidate the interrelationships between them. Furthermore, the findings highlight the potential of such approaches to facilitate the …

Looking Beneath The Surface: Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Through The Caregiver’S Lens—Support, Advocacy, And Self-Care, Melissa Fredin

Master of Arts in Human Services

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure that can affect cognitive functioning, adaptive skills, communication, emotional regulation, and daily living abilities. Individuals with FASD and their caregivers often face complex challenges while navigating behavioral, educational, healthcare, human service, and criminal justice systems. Although awareness of FASD continues to increase, gaps remain in caregiver education, professional understanding, and access to coordinated, trauma-informed supports. The literature indicates that caregiver education is central to improving outcomes for individuals with FASD and is associated with stronger advocacy, more effective support strategies, greater caregiver resilience, and improved …

20260821: Marshall Magazine (Print Copies), 2020-2025, University Communications

Guides to University Archives

These items include materials from the office of University Communications at Marshall University from 2020-2025. Items were received as each issue was published and include paper copies of the Marshall Magazine from the date range.

Healthcare Students’ Experiences Using Artificial Intelligence Simulation Tools In Clinical Simulated Laboratory Practice, Delicia S. Cousin

Student Dissertations

Artificial intelligence-driven simulation has become an important component of healthcare education by providing students with opportunities to strengthen clinical reasoning, decision-making, and technical skills in a safe learning environment. Despite its growing adoption, limited research has explored how healthcare students experience artificial intelligence-driven simulation during clinical laboratory practice. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore healthcare students’ experiences using artificial intelligence-driven simulation tools during clinical laboratory practice. Guided by Experiential Learning Theory and Transformative Learning Theory, the study examined how students interpreted, reflected upon, and learned from these experiences. Data were collected through a researcher-developed Qualtrics questionnaire …

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 …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Autistic Students As They Navigate Nutrition In Higher Education: A Hermeneutic Study, Amanda Beeman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to interpret how adult students with ASD in higher education navigate nutritional choices. This study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which explains the relationship between environmental factors and individual health and well-being. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to examine how students with ASD experienced nutrition within the higher education environment. The central research question asked how adult higher education students with ASD experienced and navigated nutrition in the context of college life. The sample included 10 adult participants with ASD enrolled in a higher education institution. Data were collected …

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 …

Recommendations To Solve The Problem Of High Levels Of Burnout Among Special Education Teachers At Waite High School In Ohio, Byron Scott Swartz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to provide recommendations to solve the problem of high levels of burnout among special education teachers at Waite High School in Ohio. The problem was that 45% of special education teachers at Waite High School reported feeling burned by their current jobs. The rationale for this study was that it was critical to reduce feelings of burnout among special education teachers since improving feelings of burnout may lead to better performance in the classroom teachers and fewer staffing shortages. The central research question was as follows: How can the problem of high levels of …

Teachers’ Lived-Experiences Enacting Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Temy Nguyen Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of implementing Culturally Responsive Teaching practices during the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards for science teachers at comprehensive high schools in one district in California. The theory guiding this study was Prochaska’s and DiClemente’s theory on the transtheoretical model of change to understand the phenomena of teachers’ pedagogical decisions in the classroom as they transition to enact culturally responsive teaching (CRT) because of the NGSS. Bandura’s social cognitive theory and Piaget’s social constructivism theory were the educational theories that served as a backdrop for teacher …

Preschool Teachers' Perceptions In Supporting Students Experiencing Trauma, Ann F. Gorbett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood teachers are often the first to observe behaviors that could be a result of trauma. The problem that was addressed in this study is that preschool teachers are not adequately trained to effectively address the social, emotional, and academic needs of children who have experienced trauma. Framed by Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore preschool teachers’ preparedness and training needs to effectively respond to children who have experienced trauma. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 general education preschool teachers, who have at least 2 years of teaching experience. …

Secondary English Teachers' Experiences Related To Instructional Communication With Their Students In A Southeastern State: A Phenomenology, Toye L. Wheeler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore secondary English teachers’ experiences related to instructional communication with their students in a southeastern state. Guided by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, the study examined how teachers perceive, experience, and navigate communication within contemporary secondary English classrooms. Participants included 10 secondary English teachers from two public high schools who had at least three years of teaching experience and worked with diverse student populations. Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups and were analyzed using phenomenological reduction, including epoché and horizontalization. Five themes emerged from the analysis: the varied …

The Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities Of Certified Anduncertified Medical Assistants In Medical Clinics: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology Study, Shannon Waller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological study was to explore how supervising clinicians, including medical doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, described the knowledge, skills, and abilities of certified and uncertified medical assistants in healthcare clinics in the United States. The problem was that it was unknown how supervising clinicians described the knowledge, skills, and abilities of certified and uncertified medical assistants. Becker’s human capital theory served as the theoretical framework for this study. Participants were recruited through professional social media platforms and clinician-specific online communities. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, a focus group, andwritten responses to a writing …

Faith, Function, Formality: Integrating Gospel Vocal Techniques Into Western Classical Pedagogy, Korwind Z. Stokes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This applied qualitative case study explored the integration of gospel-derived vocal techniques within Western classical choral pedagogy in a secondary music education setting. The study addressed a gap in music education literature concerning the intentional use of gospel-derived vocal practices as pedagogical resources within formal secondary choral instruction. Guided primarily by constructivist learning theory and informed by culturally responsive teaching, the study examined how students’ prior musical experiences could serve as a foundation for learning Western classical vocal concepts. The study was conducted within a public high school choral program and focused on the intentional incorporation of gospel-derived techniques during …

Exploring How School Leaders Support The Academic Resilience Of Foster Youth: A Case Study, Melissa Gasser Myers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the resilience of foster care students in Oklahoma public schools. The study was guided by Garmezy’s resilience theory, which highlights the critical role of resilience in helping children recover from past trauma and thrive in academic settings. The central research question was: How do school leaders nurture academic resilience in foster children? This study was conducted using qualitative research methods. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, physical artifacts, and journal prompts. The data first underwent analysis through open coding, followed by a round of axial coding and finally selective coding. Informed …

Stem Afterschool Enrichment Programs On Post-Secondary Minority Students In Southern California And Their Educational And Professional Pathway: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Lavar Jamaall Watkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of ethnically and racially minority students who participated in STEM afterschool enrichment programs at middle schools in Southern California. Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this phenomenological study addressed how participation in STEM supplemental programming served as a predictive motivator that encouraged ethnically and racially minority students to pursue careers in STEM professions. SCCT provided the theoretical framework for understanding how self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and contextual influences shaped students’ perceptions, motivations, and career decision-making related to STEM. The central research question guiding this inquiry was: What …

A Causal-Comparative Study Of The Effect Of Developmental Education Courses On College Persistence In Higher Education Among First-Year College Students, Tosha J. Mobley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine differences in institutional integration scores among first-year college students based on enrollment status and gender assigned at birth at a public southern university. This study was important because previous reform efforts intended to improve college persistence and graduation rates have not eliminated the need for developmental education or learning support courses within higher education. The independent variables included enrollment status and gender assigned at birth. Institutional integration was measured using the Institutional Integration Scale–Revised (IIS-R). The sample was composed of 107 first-year college students enrolled in developmental (support) and traditional …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Perceptions Of Teachers On Utilizing Art Therapy To Help Students With Ieps And Emotional Dysregulation, Lisa Marie Powell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to focus on the perceptions of teachers observing and implementing art therapy interventions with their students in the classroom setting. This study will aim to provide students with IEPs between the ages of 5 and 18 more support with emotional dysregulation by bringing more awareness to teachers on how to manage these concerns in their classroom using art therapy (Bosgraff et al., 2020). The study will aim to unveil the challenges of art therapy efficacy, based on teachers' perception of therapeutic art interventions for elementary through high school-level students. Through teacher observations …