Digital Commons Network^™

Anatomy Of A Successful College Closure, Kevin P. Mcdonough

Touro Law Review

Alarming forecasts of mass closures of colleges and universities in the United States have been part of the higher education landscape for many years now. Unfortunately, such prognosticators have been proven largely correct as college closures have been occurring with increasing regularity. The closure process has been carried out with varying degrees of success. At one end of the spectrum lies the poorly planned, precipitous closure, which often garners the most attention because of its devastating impact on students and their families. This Article examines certain actions and strategies that the leadership of a college compelled to cease operations can …

Unprecedented Leadership For Unprecedented Times: The Ethical Imperative For Transformational Change In American Higher Education, Andrés Acebo

Touro Law Review

Many eras quietly yield to another while its institutions continue speaking the language of a world that no longer exists. Such moments expose the widening distance between inherited assumptions and emerging realities, between institutional memory and societal need, between what once served the public well and what the future now requires. American higher education has arrived at such a moment. For more than a decade, its challenges have been described through the language of crisis. The prevailing literature has documented enrollment decline, demographic transformation, fiscal instability, technological disruption, political polarization, declining public confidence, and institutional fragility with increasing sophistication. Yet …

Higher Education’S Legal Reckoning: The Institutional Lawyer—More Than A Trend, Jenean Taranto

Touro Law Review

Higher education institutions (IHEs) operate in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment that has transformed institutional governance, administration, and leadership. Since the enactment of the Higher Education Act of 1965, colleges and universities have experienced growing federal, state, and quasi-regulatory oversight, a phenomenon commonly described as the “lawyerization” of higher education. This process has resulted in expanded compliance obligations, increased litigation risks, and greater reliance on legal expertise within institutional operations. Recent federal actions following the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January 2025— including executive orders, agency guidance, policy memoranda, and related litigation—have intensified regulatory uncertainty and further …

Lessons On Generative Artificial Intelligence From The American Association Of Dental Editors And Journalists (Aadej), Christopher J. Smiley

Journal of the American College of Dentists

The American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists (AADEJ) recently released "Guidance for Authors, Editors and Publishers on the Use of Generative AI". Developed by an 11-member stakeholder panel, this guidance paper serves a dual purpose: It provides practical strategies for mitigating the risks that generative artificial intelligence (GAI) poses to professional writing and explains how GAI creates these risks. Understanding both the underlying vulnerabilities of GAI and how to address them is critical for users at all levels, from authors and reviewers to editors, publishers, and general users, to maintain the validity and reliability of their written work. This …

It’S All One Curriculum: Guidelines And Activities For A Unified Approach To Sexuality, Gender, Hiv, And Human Rights Education 2nd Edition, Heidy Araque, Nicole Haberland

Adolescents and Young People

The second edition is forthcoming

Improvisational Theatre And Theatre Of The Oppressed: Fostering Growth In Myself And Beyond, Leigh S. Green

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis examines how improvisational theatre and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed function independently and how these practices have shaped me as both an artist and educator. Having grown up with improvisation and continued working professionally in performance and education, I have observed how it creates conditions that support development. Guided by a qualitative practice-as-research methodology, in which my own artistic and pedagogical practice serves as both site and subject of inquiry, this study explores three central questions: How does improvisational theatre contribute to youth development? In what ways can Theatre of the Oppressed deepen or reshape improvisation’s developmental …

An Exploration Of The Professionalization Of Graduate Students Using Rhetorical Theory, Jennifer M. Crowell

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This qualitative study examines the professionalization of graduate students as a rhetorically mediated and relational process of identity development within an interdisciplinary doctoral program. While existing scholarship emphasizes institutional structures and formal mechanisms of professional preparation, less attention has been given to how graduate students experience professionalization at the individual level. This study addresses that gap by exploring how students interpret expectations, use rhetorical strategies, and construct professional identities across multiple disciplinary contexts.

Grounded in organizational rhetoric and community of practice theory, the study investigates how graduate students in the Texts & Technology Ph.D. Program at the University of Central …

Exploring The Experiences Of Late Age-On-Arrival Multilingual Learners In Postsecondary Education, Robyn D. Ecklund

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Multilingual learners (MLs) are the fastest growing population in the United States public school system (Biondi et al., 2024; Kanno & Cromley, 2013; Perez & Morrison, 2016; Varghese & Fuentes, 2020). Within this population of students, there is a subset of students that arrive in the United States during secondary school. These “late age-on-arrival” students face significant linguistic, cultural and social challenges in their pursuit of postsecondary success after high school (Kanno, 2021; Kanno & Cromley, 2013; Perez & Morrison, 2016). This interpretative phenomenological analysis sought to answer the research question: what are the lived experiences of late age-on-arrival MLs …

From Designation To Implementation: A Qualitative Study Of Support Structures For Latinx Students At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Steven A. Freeman

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This study addresses the persistent misalignment between the enrollment-based designation of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and the extent to which these institutions implement intentional practices that support Latinx student success. As HSIs continue to grow nationally, it is critical to examine whether institutional efforts move beyond symbolic designation toward meaningful “servingness,” particularly given the increasing reliance on these institutions to advance social mobility and educational attainment for Latinx students. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the support structures an HSI provides to promote Latinx student success and to examine Latinx students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of these supports. …

Investigating The Impact Of School Leaders’ Leadership Style And Teachers’ Intrinsic Motivation For Improved Science Instruction In Elementary Schools, Leila M. Greene

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

A report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, determined that 69% of U.S. elementary teachers are not prepared to teach science, especially in the areas of earth/space and physical sciences. As a result, some elementary teachers avoid teaching science. School administrators play a key role in providing a supportive environment to inspire and motivate elementary science teachers. For this reason, the study utilized the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), to examine three types of school leadership styles (Transformational, Transactional, and Laissez-Faire) and how they impact the intrinsic motivation for elementary science teachers in three areas including autonomy, competency, and …

Policy Into Practice: Exploring School Counselors' And School Psychologists' Knowledge And Sensemaking Towards The Application Of Alternative Gifted Identification Criteria For Lower Socioeconomic Students, Brittany E. Hague

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Persistent underrepresentation of students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds in Gifted education reflects long-standing structural inequities embedded in identification policies and practices. In response, many Florida school districts have adopted equity-oriented identification reforms, including universal screening, local norms, and multiple-measure approaches. However, policy equity does not automatically translate into equitable outcomes; rather, it is mediated through the interpretive work of school-based practitioners. Guided by Sensemaking Theory, this convergent mixed-methods study examines how school counselors and school psychologists construct meaning around alternative Gifted identification criteria and how their beliefs, professional judgment, and organizational contexts shape implementation. The study explores how …

A Case Study Examining Organizational Influences On Student Teacher Placement In K-12 Classrooms, Rachel L. Ickes

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Student teaching is a prominent and required learning experience in most teacher education programs. The learning that takes place in student teaching blends pedagogy with practice. However, not all student teaching placements provide positive learning experiences for student teachers. This descriptive case study examines the organizational factors that affect the process of student teacher placement at K-12 classroom sites by one teacher education program. For this case study, one teacher education program in the southeastern United States was selected as the case site, and the case for this study is the process of student teacher placement. Semi-structured interviews, observation, and …

Sustaining High-Quality Service-Learning In Research Intensive Universities: A Qualitative Study Of Instructor Perspectives, Marika Koch

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In a world that often feels disconnected due to our sociopolitical climate, there is a need to create socially aware and civically engaged adults. Service-learning integrated into higher education courses can do that and more. Research indicates that both students and the community benefit significantly when students participate in effective service-learning classes. Students who take service-learning courses in college tend to exhibit higher academic achievement, enhanced social and emotional skills, and greater long-term civic engagement. Effective service-learning courses share three common elements: they foster a strong connection to course objectives, promote reciprocity for all involved, and encourage active student reflection. …

Contextual Influences On Algebra 1 Achievement In Florida: A Multilevel Analysis Of Fsa Data And Policy Implications For B.E.S.T., Alberto Leiro Jr

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This study examined how school-level and district-level contextual factors are associated with Algebra 1 achievement in Florida using a multilevel modeling framework. Drawing on statewide publicly available data from the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA), the analysis included schools nested within districts to account for the hierarchical structure of educational data. School-level predictors included absenteeism, economic disadvantage, English language learner status, student mobility, and the proportion of students with disabilities, while district-level variables included poverty and crime rates. Results from the null model indicated that a meaningful proportion of variance in Algebra 1 achievement was attributable to differences among districts, supporting …

High School Teachers' Perceptions And Experiences Of Legislative Changes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Marie Lewis

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore the perceptions and experiences of high school English Language Arts teachers in one public school district in the state of Florida as they navigated educational legislation that has been implemented over the last five years. The study interviewed ten experienced high school ELA teachers who had taught for more than five years in Florida’s public school system. One semi-structured interview was conducted along with brief follow-ups to share thematic statements with the participants. This study also included a document analysis of HB 1467 and HB 1069 as well as the …

Communication College Students And Their Career Readiness: An Evaluation From The Employer's Perspective, Carson Mann

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Higher education institutions are seen as places that educate students in specific subjects and provide training that leads to either a career or further learning opportunities. Unfortunately, public trust in higher education has plummeted since 2015. The evolution of higher education has been the subject of speculation by various groups, but developing translational skills through effective internships could very well solve the issue at hand. Institutions ought to have data -driven evidence about their disciplines’ effectiveness and their translational ability to the workforce. To understand this, student career readiness must be evaluated. Students' career readiness is a vital measure of …

Towards An Understanding Of Learning In Immersive Virtual Reality: Investigating Learning Affordances To Bridge Theory And Practice, Gregory Mcgowin

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation examines how modality-specific scaffolding shapes performance, presence, and transfer in immersive virtual reality (I-VR). Framed through theories of extended cognition, real-time guidance is conceptualized as cognitive scaffolding that structures perception and action by embedding task-relevant information within the environment. Situated within the learning sciences and informed by 4E cognition (embodied, embedded, enactive, extended), this work develops a framework for understanding how I-VR affordances relate to learning and performance.

The empirical study investigates how scaffolding modality (audio vs. visual) influences presence and performance in a VR racing simulation. Using a 3 × 2 × 2 mixed factorial design, 111 …

Examining Principals' Perceptions Of Their Preparedness To Lead In Title I Schools, Tiffany Roebuck

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Principals serving in Title I schools face complex instructional, organizational, cultural, and community related demands that require specialized leadership preparation and support.  The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of principals serving in urban Title I schools regarding their preparedness, supports, challenges, and successes as instructional leaders. The study also examined principals' perceptions of culturally proficient leadership and principal preparation program attributes considered essential for leadership readiness in high-needs school settings. Guided by the Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) framework, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 principals serving in urban Title I …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of School Leaders’ Role In Implementing The Four Pillars Of Community Schools For Improving Student Achievement, Adrian Irwin Thomas

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This study examined teachers’ perceptions of school leaders’ roles in implementing the Four Pillars of Community Schools to support Student achievement in under-resourced schools. The four pillars of Community Schools- Integrated Student Support, Expanded Learning Time and Opportunities, Family and Community Engagement, and Collaborative Leadership and Practices- served as the conceptual framework for the study. Distributed Leadership Theory and Epstein’s Framework of Parental Involvement provided the theoretical lens that guided the interpretation of the findings. The study explored teachers’ perceptions of leadership practices associated with the four pillars and identified leadership strategies perceived as most effective for sustaining the community …

Human And Ai Support In Business Simulations: A Quasi-Experimental Mixed Methods Study Of Performance At Scale, Sara Willox

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Large classes change what instruction looks like. In hybrid business courses with high enrollment, it becomes harder to respond to individual students, and performance can suffer as a result. This study looked at what happens when that gap is addressed in different ways during an eight-week business simulation at the University of Central Florida. Six course sections were divided into three study groups. One group worked without support, one received instructor guidance, and one used AI tools that included a course search system and generative responses. Student outcomes were based on weekly profit and loss recorded in Sim Companies. The …

Critical Analysis Of Legal Education: Faculty Perspectives Of Law School's Role In Producing Practice-Ready Graduates, Sophia M. Akel

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Legal education has long been the subject of harsh, widespread criticism due to concerns about its ability to adequately prepare students for legal practice. Newer attorneys have reported feeling incapable of performing even the most basic functions of their job after graduation from law school (Merritt & Cornett, 2020). Despite this troubling reality, law schools largely continue to function as they always have (Cramton, 1981). To gain insight directly from important figures in legal academia, this study examined law faculty perceptions on legal education’s role in producing practice-ready graduates. A mixed-methods survey design incorporating both quantitative descriptive and qualitative elements …

Robust Linking Estimation In Item Response Theory Using Quantile Regression: Applications To The Graded Response And Generalized Partial Credit Models, Ibrahim Almansour

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation investigates robust estimation of linking coefficients in Item Response Theory (IRT) using quantile regression and its extensions. Linking procedures are essential for placing item and ability parameters from different test forms onto a common scale, thereby ensuring comparability of examinee scores across administrations. Traditional approaches such as moment methods, characteristic curve methods, and mean-based regression procedures like Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Generalized Least Squares (GLS) perform adequately under ideal conditions but tend to lose accuracy when ability distributions deviate from normality or include outliers.

To address these limitations, this research proposes a quantile-based regression framework that estimates …

Machine Learning Acceleration Of Micro-Credentialing, Knowledge Gap Remediation, And Micro-Recruiting Of Stem Assessments: From Learner Data To Hardware, Paul Amoruso

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The growing demand for a skilled STEM workforce calls for adaptive, data-driven education that personalizes learning while aligning competencies with industry needs. This work introduces a multi-layered framework that integrates artificial intelligence (AI), data mining and hardware-aware optimization to support this goal. At its core, the AchieveUp system applies generative AI-assisted skill tagging to digitized assessments, enabling multi-semester tracking of student progress. Analysis across 14 semesters shows that underperforming students were found to benefit most from attending score clarification sessions, a relationship validated by an R² value of 0.83, indicating strong predictive validity between attendance and skill acquisition. To remediate …

Establishing And Testing Experiential Critical Theory (Ect), Dolores M. Batten Mrs.

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

There is a current gap in academia which has been largely overlooked in both pedagogy and assessment: the value of personal experience as key evidence of interpretation and meaning-making correlation. Aside from narrative writing, most current methods of literary analysis writing do not place a high value on personal experience beyond the inclusion of brief anecdotes. Yet experience is the major pathway by which an individual forms their worldview, which then informs the ways in which they interpret the world—and by extension, text. This dissertation both establishes and examines the use of Experiential Critical Theory (ECT) in pedagogical application for …

Exploring The Temporal Dynamics Of Gaming-The-System And Self-Regulated Learning Behaviors Within A Game-Based Learning Environment, Cameron E. Marano

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Consistently monitoring and regulating cognitive and metacognitive skills during learning is difficult. As a result, game-based learning environments (GBLEs) have been designed to provide richer learning experiences. They foster self-regulated learning (SRL) skills and offer a way to study learners' interactions within complex environments. Although SRL in GBLEs has been widely studied, large gaps remain. For example, it is unclear how improper or maladaptive regulation in GBLEs signals gaming-the-system, in which learners manipulate features to avoid authentic learning. This phenomenon is widely studied in intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs). Limited research has examined how and when both gaming-the-system and SRL behaviors …

Deceptive Design And Disability: How Dark Patterns Affect Users With Visual Impairments, Konstantin Metz

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Dark patterns are deceptive interface designs that steer users toward unintended actions, often at financial or privacy cost. This thesis examines how those that are vision impaired are at greater risk of these dark patterns given their visual acuity deficit. We conducted semi structured interviews with nine participants across common contexts including e-commerce checkout, subscription and cancellation flows, software download pages, and mobile permission prompts. The data show recurring exposure to dark patterns such as hidden or de-emphasized fees, pre-selected add-ons, deceptive advertising and fake download buttons along with unequal consent paths, repeated permission nagging, and cancellation friction. Participants reported …

An Investigation Into The Impact Of Open Educational Resources (Oer) On Postsecondary Student Outcomes, Amber Mullens

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Increasing higher education costs are a concern for policymakers and the American public. In 2024-25, undergraduate students paid on average $1,290 for books and supplies (College Board, 2024). These costs have led policymakers and educators to advocate for the use of open educational resources (OER). OER are teaching and learning materials that are in the public domain or licensed under copyright allowing no cost access, reuse, repurpose, adaptation, and redistribution (UNESCO, 2019, p. 5). While research has demonstrated OER use significantly reduces costs for students, less is known about OER's impact on student academic outcomes. Despite significant research on these …

Holistic Review In Graduate Admissions: Admissions Professionals’ Evaluation Of Non-Cognitive Traits, Joshua L. Olson

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This basic qualitative study examines how graduate admissions professionals conceptualize, operationalize, and interpret holistic review within graduate admissions processes. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Expectancy-Value Theory, the study explores how non-cognitive traits such as motivation, resilience, self-efficacy, and professionalism are evaluated alongside traditional academic indicators in admissions decision-making. Using semi-structured interviews with graduate admissions professionals directly involved in admissions decisions, the study identifies how holistic review is defined and implemented across institutional contexts, which non-cognitive traits are most valued, and the tools and procedures used to assess applicant potential beyond academic metrics. Findings suggest that, for participants in this …

Teoría Y Creatividad. La Literatura Como Herramienta Educativa En El Aprendizaje Moderno De Textos Clásicos En El Idioma Español, Isabel D. Simon

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In the following master’s thesis, literature is studied as an educational tool in the modern learning of classical texts in the Spanish language from both theoretical and creative perspectives. The theoretical framework to be used is based on the hermeneutic theory of Jean Grondin. The study is divided into three chapters, each focusing on a different literary piece. First, the medieval period is examined through Poema de Mio Cid (Cantar de Mio Cid) of anonymous authorship. In the second chapter, the Golden Age is analyzed through Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. In the closing …

Beyond Satisfaction: Developing A Data Storytelling Evaluation Protocol For Stem Equity Program Assessment, Karen Colbert

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Higher education institutions routinely evaluate equity initiatives using measures of participation, engagement, and satisfaction. While these approaches provide useful information about program delivery, they offer limited insight into whether interventions change how participants understand institutional inequities. As a result, important dimensions of organizational learning and awareness often remain difficult to detect, particularly within STEM higher education environments where evaluation systems frequently emphasize measurable outputs over deeper indicators of change.

This dissertation examines how awareness-related outcomes can be identified, measured, and communicated within equity intervention contexts. Using a three-study design, the research first presents a systematic review of equity intervention evaluation …