Digital Commons Network^™

Industry To Classroom: The Role Of Academic Program Consultants In Building Self-Efficacy Among Occupation-Based Career And Technical Education Teachers, Erica L. Settelen

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Occupation-based career and technical education (CTE) teachers bring industry expertise to secondary classrooms but often begin teaching without traditional pedagogical preparation or familiarity with public school systems. In Kentucky’s New Teacher Institute (NTI), academic program consultants (APCs) provide program-area support to strengthen induction. Using the framework of self-efficacy and guided by Ivankova’s mixed methods action research (MMAR) framework, this study examined how occupation-based CTE teachers perceived APC engagement during induction and how APC-created asynchronous supports were experienced.

In the Reconnaissance Phase, a sequential Quantitative → Qualitative design included an initial survey followed by interviews. Survey results indicated midrange familiarity with …

Recruitment Messaging, Authenticity, And Representation: A Mixed Methods Action Research Study In A Public School System, Chavis A. Sims

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

This study employed a Mixed Methods Action Research (MMAR) design to examine recruitment communication within a public school system facing persistent underrepresentation of minority educators.  Recruitment prototypes were developed in collaboration with district leadership and evaluated in a formative pilot involving 15 educators who provided Likert-scale ratings and written feedback on clarity, cultural relevance, persuasiveness, and engagement.  Quantitative findings indicated that messaging emphasizing professional purpose and pathways into teaching was perceived as clear and engaging.  In contrast, cultural relevance consistently received the lowest ratings across prototypes.  Qualitative responses revealed that reliance on non-local and AI-generated imagery weakened perceived authenticity and …

Unveiling The Shadows: An Exploratory Study On Ghostwriting, Gray Markets, And The Ethics Of Contract Cheating, Micah Crawford

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Contract cheating has become an increasingly complex challenge for higher education, particularly as digital platforms, global academic labor markets, and generative artificial intelligence reshape the production and detection of academic work. While much of the existing literature examines contract cheating from the perspectives of students, faculty, and institutions, less attention has been given to the individuals who produce ghostwritten academic work. This dissertation addresses that gap by exploring how shadow scholars understand their roles, ethical boundaries, and participation within the academic integrity ecosystem.

Using an exploratory qualitative design, this study draws on twelve semi-structured narrative interviews with six freelance academic …

Leadership Perceptions In Mid-Major Ncaa Athletics: Exploring Women's Teams Head Coaches' Experiences With Athletic Department Senior Staff, Sydnie A. Steele

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Leadership practices within NCAA Division I athletic departments can shape the professional climate, well-being, and stability of the coaching staff. Yet, limited research has explored how senior administrators influence the experiences of coaches who lead women’s teams at mid-major institutions. This phenomenological inquiry study explored how head coaches interpret their interactions with senior athletic department staff and how these relational dynamics inform perceptions of support.

Twelve Division I head coaches participated in semi-structured Zoom interviews about their experiences at former institutions. The interview protocol integrated the LMX-7 framework with open-ended questions to capture the significance of the head coaches’ lived …

Exploring High School Students’ Learning Interests And Information Sources On Viruses And Covid-19, Sahar Alameh, James W. Keck, Elizabeth Loh, Lin Xiang, Scott M. Berry, Anna G. Hoover, Abigail Knapp, Savannah Tucker

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Faculty Publications

This study investigates high school students’ health-information seeking behaviors related to COVID-19 and viruses in a rural area of the south-central United States, and how these behaviors relate to students’ knowledge, perceptions, and learning interests. Survey data were collected from 83 students in Spring 2023, during the post-pandemic period, as part of a STEM and public health unit. Drawing on frameworks from Health Information-Seeking Behavior and student interest, the study examines students’ COVID-19 information sources, how these sources relate to their knowledge about viruses and their perceptions of COVID-19, and the specific topics about which they were most interested in …

Critical Discourse Analysis Of Nil Policies: Examining Institutional Control And Economic Opportunities For Division I Football Athletes In Power Four Universities, Allen T. Alvarez

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The adoption of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies has redefined the economic landscape of collegiate athletics, expanding opportunities for student-athletes and reshaping institutional authority. This dissertation nvestigates how NIL policy language at Division I universities frames economic possibilities for football student-athletes and sustains systems of governance. Through a Critical Discourse Analysis of policy documents from Power Four and mid-major institutions, this study reveals that NIL participation is persistently conditioned by institutional approval, compliance monitoring, and ambiguous definitions, especially regarding boosters and collectives.

Policy language presents NIL as an opportunity but embeds institutional control through oversight structures. The analysis further …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Artificial Intelligence And Its Impact On Student Learning, Ranging From Understanding, Originality, Motivation, Problem-Solving, And Resilience, Joseph Whelan

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming education, challenging traditional notions of how learning should be structured in schools. Although research on educational AI remains limited, its influence on student learning is already evident. On a daily basis, educators observe the impact artificial intelligence has on five specific areas of student learning: being, understanding, originality, motivation, problem-solving. and resilience. Using a mixed-methods approach, with descriptive research using surveys with free-response questions, the study aimed to examine how the five student characteristics are affected in the classroom daily through the integration of artificial intelligence into student learning. Teachers participated in a survey …

Video-Based Heart Failure Education: A Feasibility Study, Avery Pivont

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Video-Based Heart Failure Education: A Feasibility Study

Avery Pivont

Background:  Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospitalization in the U.S., contributing to high readmission rates and significant healthcare costs. Many of these readmissions are preventable and often stem from inadequate patient education. Effective patient education is a critical component of HF management; however, many healthcare facilities lack specialized HF nurse educators, resulting in inconsistent patient education.

Problem Statement: A quality improvement team at a large academic hospital identified increased heart failure (HF) readmission rates across an entire health system, largely attributed to inconsistent discharge education and limited availability …

Student Support In Civil And Environmental Engineering, Heather Marie Rice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many student support services target first-year engineering students to help improve their transition from high school to college and to reach first-year retention goals. These opportunities are communicated to students through a variety of ways. The objectives of this work are to evaluate student perspectives of student services support factors in a civil and environmental engineering program and investigate how student support services and opportunities are communicated to students in a civil and environmental engineering program. The media identified for student support service outreach were the fundamentals of engineering program newsletters, academic advising newsletters, Statler eNews newsletters, and the bulletin …

Conservative Discourse: How It Shapes And Is Shaped By Social Studies Education In West Virginia, Elizabeth Christine Rexroad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This narrative inquiry dissertation investigates how conservative Discourse both shapes and is shaped by social studies teacher identity, agency, and the figured world of social studies education in West Virginia. Drawing on the storied lives of three early-career secondary social studies teachers, this study examines how conservative Discourse operates as a structuring force in the daily lives and practices of teachers working in an exceptionally conservative political and social landscape. Using Critical Narrative Analysis (Souto-Manning, 2014) and discourse analysis (Gee, 2014) as analytical frameworks, and figured worlds theory (Holland et al., 1998) as theoretical lens, this study reveals how conservative …

A Review Of The Effect The Kentucky Center For School Safety Has On Kentucky School District’S Safe Schools Data, Patricia Greer

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The study examines the impact of the Kentucky Center for School Safety on safety data from Kentucky Schools. The data consisted of behavior events reported in the Safe Schools Data collected from the student information system, Infinite Campus. The analysis was conducted using interaction data from the Kentucky Center for School Safety and behavioral data from Kentucky Public Schools.

How Do Reading Specialists Shape Their Identities As Literacy Leaders? An Exploration Of Competence, Performance, And Recognition Within Communities Of Practice, Christina Glance Petrone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative multiple-case study explored how reading specialists enact literacy leadership within elementary schools in West Virginia. Although reading specialists are increasingly expected to support schoolwide literacy improvement, leadership responsibilities are not always explicitly defined within their roles. Guided by a communities of practice framework and an identity model, this study examined how reading specialists develop and demonstrate literacy leadership through their daily interactions with teachers, administrators, and other school personnel. Data sources included participant questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with participants, their principals, and colleagues from their school. Participants in this study included three reading specialists (interventionists) working in K-5 …

“Black Students Matter”: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Student Experiences At A Predominately White Institution In Appalachia During The Dual Pandemic Of Covid-19 And Systemic Anti-Black Racism, Toni Owens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As the spread of COVID-19 escalated into a global pandemic in 2020, simultaneously, the nationwide media in the United States (U.S.) highlighted coverage of the country’s ongoing incidents of longstanding systemic anti-Black racism in America, another pandemic. In the Summer of 2020, a collective of Black students at West Virginia University (WVU) signed and publicly submitted a petition to the university’s leadership with a list of demands to address their needs as they were further exacerbated by the dual pandemic. This study is guided by the question, “What are the lived experiences of Black Students at West Virginia University during …

Juegos De Rol Para Colaboraciones De Investigación Interdisciplinar, Sarah Lynne Bowman, Josefin Westborg, Cristo Leon, Antonio Luis Casado Da Rocha, Esteban Etxeberria

STEM for Success Resources

Juegos de rol para colaboraciones de investigación interdisciplinar presenta los juegos de rol como una herramienta formativa para fortalecer la colaboración en equipos de investigación interdisciplinaria. La obra explica cómo el role-playing puede ayudar a desarrollar competencias comunicativas, reflexivas y organizativas necesarias para trabajar entre disciplinas, especialmente en contextos académicos donde los problemas complejos requieren coordinación, negociación de saberes y construcción compartida de conocimiento. Esta traducción al español amplía el acceso a un enfoque innovador para universidades, centros de investigación, facilitadores, docentes y equipos interesados en mejorar sus prácticas colaborativas mediante metodologías participativas, experienciales y orientadas a la investigación. Libro …

The Compass, Summer 2026

The Compass, 2018-

The Compass is an annual orientation guide for VCU students produced by the Student Media Collective in the VCU Student Media Centered. The guide is distributed physically during summer orientation sessions for new and transfer students. The publication includes short articles, illustrations, letters of welcome from students and administrators, comics, and advertisements from VCU and Richmond organizations.

Mit 815: Ai In Education, Elodie Jones

All Open Educational Resources

MIT 815: AI in Education is a comprehensive 3-hour graduate course exploring the transformative intersection of artificial intelligence and educational practices, designed for educators, instructional designers, and leaders. The curriculum covers essential topics, including the history and foundation of AI, a framework for AI Literacy, AI ethics and safety, and practical skills for implementing and evaluating AI-driven educational solutions, including AI-based education policies or guidelines.

Transforming Florida Chemistry Education: Exploring Information Literacy Strategies From Singapore, Han N. Le

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study explores the applicability of Singapore’s information literacy (IL) strategies within Central Floridian higher education environments. Singapore’s national IL framework, supported by its Ministry of Education, integrates information and communication technology (ICT), professional development, and lifelong learning initiatives through a standardized, systemwide approach. In contrast, IL instruction in the United States is largely decentralized, often limited to one-time sessions or elective courses. To investigate the feasibility of adapting Singapore’s practices, surveys were distributed to faculty and librarians across Florida’s twelve public universities, yielding responses that highlighted varying levels of IL integration, limited institutional support, and minimal professional training related …

A Systematic Literature Review Of The Possible Negative Impacts Of Overconsumption Of Mass Media And Technology On Elementary-Aged Members Of Generation Z (1997–2012) And Generation Alpha (2013–2024), Ashya Y. Warren

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the possible negative impacts of overconsumption of mass media and technology on the elementary-aged members of Generation Z (1997-2012) and Generation Alpha (2013-2024). This research is aimed at establishing the relationship between excessive and uncontrolled exposure to digital media and cognitive, emotional, social, behavioral, and academic difficulties at a critical period of child growth. The purpose of this systematic literature review can be explained by the author's experience with technology overuse and professional interests as a future teacher, who should be prepared to help promote healthy childhood and development. The systematic literature review was based on peer-reviewed …

Grant-O-Thon: A Designathon-Informed Grant Writing Program To Enhance Research Grant Writing Skills In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Yusha Tao, Gifty Marley, Lauren Fidelak, Bin Yu, Yusuf Babatunde, Anita N. Walker, Anthony A. Attama, Andrea L. Conroy, Esther K. Afolabi, Dimitrios N. Vatakis, Iheanyi Omezuruike Okonko, Shyngle K. Balogun, Hongyun Fu, Xin Peng, Ijeoma M. Ifeorah, Patience Kukundakwe, Alexandra Cossio, Ifeoma M. Obionu, Ángela Patricia Beltrán López, Matthew Idowu Olatubi, Ucheoma C. Nwaozuru, Yuanyi Chen, Huachun Zou, Eneyi E. Kpokiri, Daniil Wu, Oliver Ezechi, Juliet Iwelunmor, Meredith Labarda, Jason J. Ong, Weiming Tang, Joseph D. Tucker

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Problem

Early career researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face substantial barriers when writing research grants and have limited writing support. A designathon approach was applied to organize a grant writing workshop (grant-o-thon) tailored for early-career LMIC researchers. This study describes the planning, implementation, and participant-reported outcomes of the grant-o-thon as a participatory training approach.

Approach

Grant-o-thons were organized in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Consistent with the designathon model, the grant-o-thon was structured in three stages: preparation using co-creation with end-users, intensive collaborative teamwork supported by mentor feedback and weekly writing deliverables, and structured follow-up. Each grant-o-thon consisted of …

Revised Microbiology Core Knowledge Objectives For Modern Undergraduate Medical Education, Timothy J. Bauler, Cindy G. Arvidson, Samina Akbar, Dennis N. Arvidson, Margaret E. Bauer, Dwayne M. Baxa, Rebecca J. Greenblatt, Kerstin Honer Zu Bentrup, Yingguang Liu, Inaia Phoenix, Julie A. Kerry

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Defining the core content for each scientific discipline in a modern preclinical medical education curriculum is critical to ensure optimal student learning and application of foundational knowledge for clinical practice. Attendees of the Association of Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs (AMSMIC) Educational Strategies Workshop recently highlighted the need for updated medical microbiology learning objectives, given the shift in medical education toward less time for preclinical coursework and more integrated learning. Herein, we describe the process of developing a comprehensive, educator-driven set of knowledge objectives for medical microbiology. These objectives emphasize common pathogens, as well as pathogens associated with severe …

How Directors Of E-Learning Contribute To New Expectations Of Privacy, William R. Jones

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative research study used semi-structured interviews to ask directors of elearning at regional public universities about decision-making concerning new information technologies that affected the data privacy and security of students and staff. The institutional setting and target population were chosen to standardize the inquiry and allow focus on how privacy decisions were made. The conceptual framework drew on Helen Nissenbaum’s theory of contextual integrity for privacy and contributions of behavioral economists on expert decision-making including studies of heuristics and biases, naturalistic decision-making, and the failures of deliberative groups. Data collection involved a first interview and then a second follow-up …

Examining Knowledge And Comfort Levels Of Nursing Students In Providing Sexual Health Education, Deanna M. Gower

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Sex education has been a part of the education in the United States for over 100 years. Nursing education is focused on educating nursing students in a comprehensive fashion that develops a safe and competent nurse. Due to the substantial scope of content required in nursing programs, sexual health topics can be pushed aside. This may result in gaps in sexual health knowledge and comfort for nursing students as they may be inadequately prepared to competently address patients’ sexual health needs in clinical practice. The purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive study is to examine nursing students knowledge and comfort levels …

2026-2027 Graduate Catalog, Morehead State University. Registrar's Office.

Morehead State Catalog Archive

2026-2027 graduate catalog for Morehead State University.

Predictors Of Resilience Among East Asian American Adults: The Role Of Ethnic Identity, Parental Cultural Socialization And K-12 Experiences Of Stereotype-Related Stress, Regina Lee

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

This quantitative retrospective study examined predictors of resilience among East Asian American adults reflecting on their K-12 educational experiences of stereotype-related stress. Guided by Asian Critical Theory (AsianCrit), Ethnic Identity Theory, Resilience Theory, and Quantitative Critical Race Theory (QuantCrit), the study investigated whether ethnic identity and parental maintenance of heritage culture during K-12 schooling predicted adult resilience. Participants (N = 207) completed validated measures of ethnic identity (MEIM; Phinney, 1992; Roberts et al., 1999), parental maintenance of heritage culture subscale (AAPRES; Juang et al., 2016), stereotype-related stress (MMM Scale, Thompson & Kiang, 2010; Perpetual Foreigner subscale, Liang et al., 2004), …

The Coalition Of Inclusive School Leaders Framework & Guidebook, K. Adams, Meghan Cosier, Audri Sandoval Gomez

Thompson Policy Institute on Disability Policy Reports

"The purpose of this inclusive leadership framework, also supplemental, is to expand further on those actionable steps in the PSEL 2015 and Promoting Principal Leadership for the Success of Students With Disabilities document for direct use with future and current school and district administrators, framing a more inclusive-focused leader than the initial development of the CPSEL and PSEL. This framework will guide leaders toward improving access, equity, and inclusion for students with disabilities (SWD) and other students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds (e.g., students who are Black, Latinx, and Indigenous; students who are LGBTQIA+; and students who are experiencing poverty across …

Emanata Presents: Hunger (2026)

Emanata, 2014-

Started by illustrator and comics artist Chris Kindred in 2014 with Weird, Vol. 1, Emanata is VCU’s first-ever comics anthology.

Amendment: Literary And Art Journal (2026)

Amendment, 2004-

Amendment is a VCU student-produced progressive literature and art journal that provides a platform for students to promote equality, tolerance, and social progression through artistic expression.

Embarrassment As A Signal: Feminist Affects And The Commodification Of Love, Bianca L. Schmitt

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Educators’ Roles In Preparing Students For Civic Engagement In Arkansas Communities, Mia Hastings

2026 Research Poster Competition

Individuals aged eighteen to twenty-nine accounted for only thirteen percent of the voting electorate in the 2018 election, despite representing nearly twenty-two percent of the voting age population (Making Young Voters, 2020, p. 3). Although the percentage of students enrolled in at least one high school government course has remained relatively constant since the late 1920s, most state standards, including those in Arkansas, require only a single civics course to graduate (Branson, 2003, p. 3). As a preservice teacher, I am struck by how civic education often focuses on reciting facts about government and political institutions rather than equipping students …

Stuck In The Middle?: A Design Project To Support Do Not Qualify (Dnq) And Other Struggling Students At The Elementary Level, Steven T. Hartnett, Kevin M. Parkinson, Whitney M. Wayman

Doctor of Education Capstones

This dissertation in practice is designed to support New Kent County Public Schools, which noticed an increase in students being referred for special education services without a concomitant increase in students being found eligible for such services. Systems mapping revealed a root cause of this discrepancy is that the division lacked a comprehensive intervention plan consistently implemented, and - as a result - some students were referred for special education services not due to the presence of a potential learning disability, but merely for lack of other available options. Using tenets from design thinking and design-based research, the project co-created …