Digital Commons Network^™

Are Student Loan Default Rates Linked To Institutional Capacity?, Terry T. Ishitani, Sean A. Mckitrick

Journal of Student Financial Aid

As more undergraduates have taken out loans to attend college, the number of borrowers who fail to repay their student loans has increased. While previous research has focused on students’ likelihood to default, this study employed institutional cohort default rates (CDRs) as an outcome variable. Using Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, this study investigated the association between institutional effectiveness and CDRs. Coupled with multilevel modeling, the study also observed the effects of state-level factors, such as state appropriation and unemployment, on CDRs. The results showed that institutional characteristics—e.g., proportion of minority students, admission test scores, retention rates, and instructional expenses—are …

Alumni Survey Fall 2015, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Community Engagement

The alumni survey provides the university information on the lives of students one or more years after graduation and their opinions about various topics concerning their time at UNO and beyond. In the past, UNO used an external vendor, ACT, to conduct the alumni survey. The survey was long, the cost was high, the response rate was extremely low, and, ultimately, the vendor discontinued the survey. UNO decided the best route was to create and administer their own alumni survey.

Alumni from 2010 and 2012 were surveyed by UNO in Fall 2015 in an effort to learn which cohort would …

The Nature Of Teacher Learning In Collaborative Data Teams, Robert Michaud

The Qualitative Report

As data teams have grown in popularity in recent years, they have been increasingly looked to by educational researchers because of the tantalizing prospect of combining teachers’ on the job professional development with increased and effective data use to drive instruction. Data teams have been increasingly implemented within schools by educational leaders attempting to take advantage of what teachers learn from each other in the context of a data team. Many conceptual models of data team function have been proposed, but few empirical studies have examined how teachers learn from collaborating with each other in a data team. This paper …

Social Media Policy Implications In Higher Education: Do Faculty, Administration, And Staff Have A Place In The "Social Network"?, Jonathan W. Stoessel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

The creativity, collaboration, and advanced communication afforded by the use of social media also opens privacy and safety concerns for potential users inside and outside the realm of higher education. As the promise of the positives afforded by weaving social media into the fabric of higher education has been realized, so too have concerns over how this “social network” is governed and managed at colleges and universities. News stories, predominately negative in nature, have highlighted the unprofessional conduct of college and university employees and the issues surrounding the implementation of social media policies at institutions of higher education. Consequently, …

Systems Of Care For Addressing The Traumatic Impact Of Violence Exposure On Student Well-Being, Laurie A. Garo, Nakeshia Williams, Tiffany Hollis

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Our presentation addresses mental health needs of youth from concentrated poverty and exposure to violence. We describe the Systems of Care model and recommend a framework for implementation within school, family and community based settings. Topics include mental health, environmental trauma, poverty, and youth cultural violence. Target Audience: educators, school- and community-based counselors & support staff, social workers, and educational researchers.

The School Choice Voucher: A 'Get Out Of Jail' Card?, Corey A. Deangelis, Patrick J. Wolf

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

In this report we examine crime rates for young adults who experienced Milwaukee's citywide voucher program as high school students and a comparable group of their peers who had been public school students. Using unique data collected as part of a longitudinal evaluation of the program, we consider criminal activity by youth initially exposed to voucher schools and those in public schools at the same time. We also consider subsequent criminal activity by the students that stayed in the voucher program through 12th grade compared to those who were in public schools for the same period. We show that the …

Effective Instruction In The Blended Learning Classroom, Stepan Mekhitarian

LMU Theses and Dissertations

With the growing prevalence of blended learning in classrooms across the country, the need for teacher training for effective blended learning implementation is critical. This research study focuses on the skills and training required to implement blended learning effectively. Observations of classroom instruction and professional development, surveys, and interviews with teachers and administrators added to an extensive literature review to inform training recommendations for school sites and teacher education programs. The results show that professional development is effective when it includes peer observations and collaboration, modeling of best practices, and the integration of blended learning programs with instructional practice. Individualized …

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Strategies For Change In New Jersey’S Teacher Evaluations: How Principals Make Meaning Of The Danielson Framework For Teaching, Sara Jane Van Ness

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, education in the United States has been framed within a context of crisis where American students have been perceived as unable to compete with their international peers in an increasingly competitive global environment. Some responses to this perceived crisis included reforms, which changed teacher evaluation policies. In New Jersey, the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TeachNJ) Act mandated that districts use a state-approved model for evaluations, the most popular of which was the Danielson Framework for Teaching (FFT). The FFT has become an integral part of teacher evaluation reform, and this study …

The Pain Of Our Bodies And Souls, Wendolens A. Ruano

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

Students' Critical Reflections on Racial (in)justice

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 8, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Collins, Emma. Small Fire Leads to Cravens Graduate Center Evacuation – University Libraries
• Barkoff, Joseph. A Taste of El Salvador Across the Tracks – El Salvadoran Restaurant
• Kast, Monica. Presidential Search to be Conducted by Hiring Firm
• Turner, Justin & K.J. Hall. Administrators Detail Campus Closing Procedures – Weather, Snow, Winter
• Collins, Emma. WKU Hosts State Forensics Tournament Starting Friday
• Kast, Monica. WKU to Host Women’s Leadership Conference
• Skipworth, Dustin. Student Government Association to Travel to Frankfort for Lobbying Efforts
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon Bob Skipper
• Johnson, Jack. Deadpool …

February Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda

Spr Bulletin, Fall 2015, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Sponsored Programs Bulletins

This bulletin features Recent Grant Recipients.

Bronx Community College’S Education And Reading Department’S Catalytic Research Programs, Joan Wilson, Edward Lehner

Publications and Research

Faculty driven research is central to the intellectual integrity and financial viability of any college community. Greenwood and Levin (2005) highlight how colleges and universities have increasingly professionalized and commodified investigative practices in such a way that they no longer benefit the communities that they were created to serve. Bronx Community College's (BCC) Education and Reading Research Program is designed to question and interrupt research tendencies which propel self-fulfilling education and learning paradigms to produce and reify inter-generationally lived-realities and socio-economic reproduction of the least-advantaged communities. It is anticipated that the research efforts will also break the continuity of unintended …

Program Review Self-Study Emergency Management 2016, Uno Academic Planning Council

Student Learning

Internal program reviews are conducted by the Academic Planning Council (APC) and are an integral part of UNO’s assessment and planning processes for the unit, college, and University. The review process is designed to monitor the quality and assist in the ongoing development of UNO’s academic programs and units.

Every academic program offered at UNO will be reviewed at least once within a seven-year cycle. The reviews are conducted routinely and are coordinated with the review reports prepared for the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE).

For programs with external accreditation the UNO review process may be coordinated to minimize …

Measures Of Student Non-Cognitive Skills And Political Tolerance After Two Years Of The Louisiana Scholarship Program, Jonathan N. Mills, Albert Cheng, Collin Hitt, Patrick J. Wolf, Jay P. Greene

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

This report examines the short-term effects of the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) on students’ non-cognitive skills and civic values. While a growing number of studies have evaluated K-12 school voucher programs along academic dimensions, few have focused on the development of non-cognitive skills and civic values. This study aims to address that gap by providing the first analysis of differences in self-reported measures of grit, locus of control, self esteem, and political tolerance associated with the LSP. Using results from a phone survey of applicants to the program, we find little evidence of differences between LSP scholarship recipients and non-recipients. …

Academic And Community Identities: A Study Of Kurdish And Somali Refugee High School Students, Franco Zengaro, Mohamed Ali, Sally Zengaro

Journal of Research Initiatives

This research examined the experiences of 11 high school students and their academic and social experiences in the U.S. using identity and agency in figured worlds. We collected data through interviews and field notes and analyzed them using constant comparative analysis. The findings revealed two main themes: the importance of continuity in promoting and maintaining a positive academic environment and the importance of support in creating positive identities. In addition, there was a strong awareness between being accepted, recognized, and encouraged at school and feeling accepted as a Muslim student. In the end, the participants experienced two different realities which …

The Role Of Black Colleges In The Development Of Mathematicians, Viveka Borum, Adriel Adon Hilton, Erica Walker

Journal of Research Initiatives

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are home to almost 400,000 of the nation’s college and university population and account for nearly 25% of degrees conferred to African Americans, according to Hale (2006). They have been the launching pads for three-fourths of African Americans who hold doctorate degrees, three-fourths of Black officers in the military, and four-fifths of African American federal judges (Hale, 2006). In addition, fifty percent of African American faculty in predominantly White research universities received their bachelor’s degrees at an HBCU (Hale, 2006). These are significant percentages given the relatively small number of Black colleges and universities …

The Journey To The Top: Stories On The Intersection Of Race And Gender For African American Women In Academia And Business, Deanna R. Davis

Journal of Research Initiatives

This research study was designed to determine how the intersection of race and gender identities contributed to the elements of leadership development as perceived by eight African American female executives in academia and business. The researcher sought to explore strategies future leaders might utilize to address leadership development and career ascendency for African American females who aspire to leadership roles. A phenomenological research method was most appropriate for this research study to capture the lived experiences of individuals from their perspectives and to develop themes that challenged structural or normative assumptions.

This research study examined leadership development of eight African …

Friendships And Retention At A Historically Black University: A Quantitative Case Study, Mondrail Myrick, John A. Gipson Jr, Donald Mitchell Jr.

Journal of Research Initiatives

The retention and graduation rates of underrepresented minority, first-generation and low-income college students persist as problems in U.S. higher education. While researchers have documented the ways in which minority-serving institutions have been successful in serving these students, little is known about how friendships influence retention at these institutions. This study examines retention factors of first-year students who began college with close friends at a historically Black university. The researchers used exploratory factor analysis and binary logistic regressions to determine the factors and significance. In addition, the researchers used linear structural relations to estimate hypothesized causal models. Results of the study …

Impact Of Class Size On Learning, Behavioral And General Attitudes Of Students In Secondary Schools In Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria, Taofeek Ayotunde Yusuf, C A. Onifade, O S. Bello

Journal of Research Initiatives

Poor performance of university undergraduate students has been traced to their poor academic performance and attitudes in secondary schools. There was concern over whether class size was responsible for this. Researches on the effect of class size on academic performance and achievement exist. The study was carried out to investigate the impact of class size on students’ attitude to studies using four (4) selected secondary schools in Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria. Possible effect of class size on the general, learning and behavioral attitudes were considered. Its impact was also correlated with effect of other possible factors. Questionnaires were administered to …

Realizing The Dream: African American Males’ Narratives That Encouraged The Pursuit Of Doctoral Education, Ted N. Ingram

Journal of Research Initiatives

This article used personal narratives to discover factors affecting the decision of African American males to consider doctoral education. This study was based on qualitative interviews with 18 African American male doctoral students enrolled at predominantly white institutions as they reflected on their reasons for pursuing an advanced degree. The following were found to influence their decision: (a) need for faculty encouragement, (b) motivation to pursue a doctorate, and (c) their personal motivations. Recommendations are offered for increasing the numbers of African American male doctoral students.

A Phenomenological Study Of Cultural Responsiveness In Special Education, Kimberly M. Jones-Goods, Marquis Carter Grant

Journal of Research Initiatives

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the factors affecting elementary teacher’s ability to understand the academic needs of their racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse special education students and the ways in which their values and beliefs influenced their use of culturally responsive practices in the special education classroom. This study revealed five major reasons for the disproportionate number of Black students in special education as perceived by three White teachers in North Carolina: (a) the inadequate coursework in teacher education programs regarding teaching strategies to effectively teach racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse (RCED) students, (b) the cultural …

Research In Brief - Can They Teach Each Other? : The Restructuring Of Higher Education And The Rise Of Undergraduate Student “Teachers” In Ontario, Jennifer Massey, Sean Field

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

Changes to public funding regimes, coupled with transformations in how universities are managed and measured have altered the methods for educating undergraduate students. The growing reliance on teaching fellows, teaching assistants, and increasingly undergraduate peer educators (administering Supplemental Instruction [SI] programs) is promoted as a means toachieve a greater “return on investment” in the delivery of postsecondary education. Neoliberal discourses legitimating this downloading of teaching labour suggest it offers a “win-win” solution to the “problem” of educating growing numbers of undergraduate students. It proposes universities can deliver the same curricula, and achieve the same “outcomes” (primarily measured through grades and …

Ua3/9/7 2016 Spring Semester Welcome Message, Wku President's Office - Ransdell

WKU Administration Documents

Email from WKU president Gary Ransdell to faculty & staff.

Social Disorganization And Florida Public High School Academic Performance, David Kanaan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Failing public high schools are a perpetual limitation to community sustainability. Conversely, economically disadvantaged communities more often produce schools with reduced academic performance. Unfortunately, comprehensive community-based remedies are generally outside the scope of a school district's control. Social disorganization theory attributes variations in crime and delinquency to a breakdown in communal structure and relationships. Applied in a similar manner, social disorganization has also been associated with lower student achievement. This research examined how social disorganization is associated with Florida public high school academic performance in a two phase analysis at the community and school district levels. In addition, the research …

A New Theoretical Approach To Postsecondary Student Disability: Disability-Diversity (Dis)Connect Model, Katherine C. Aquino

Administration and Instructional Leadership Faculty Publications

Disability is often viewed as an obstacle to postsecondary inclusion, but not a characteristic of student diversity. Additionally, current theoretical frameworks isolate disability from other student diversity characteristics. In response, a new conceptual framework, the Disability-Diversity (Dis)Connect Model (DDDM), was created to address disability as a multifaceted aspect of student diversity.

The Effects Of Students' Perceptions Of Campus Safety And Security On Student Enrollment, Brian Andrew Carrico

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to determine whether student enrollment is affected by the student perception of campus safety and security when choosing a college. As the competition for students increases among higher education institutions, it is important for higher education administrators to know how to effectively present their respective institution and all of its attributes to prospective students. The targeted sample for this study was freshmen from a regional university in the mid-eastern states who are enrolled in new student seminar classes. The research questions were designed to provide information regarding the extent to which the perceptions of …

Examining Mattering, Spiritual Mattering, And First-Year Retention At A Private, Religiously-Affiliated Institution Of Higher Education, Jason Morris, Alison A. Spencer, Avia Gray

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

The primary purpose of this project was to explore how Schlossberg’s (1989) theory of college student’s mattering relates to college student retention in the context of a Christian institution of higher education. In addition, the authors created and tested a “spiritual mattering” measure based on Schlossberg’s theory. Mattering is a self-perception that refers to how important we believe we are to others. Schlossberg (1989) inserted this concept into the realm of higher education when she examined mattering and adult students returning to college. The purpose of the study was accomplished through the following three research objectives: a) Determining whether “institutional” …

Religious Freedom In Faith-Based Educational Institutions In The Wake Of 'Obergefell V. Hodges': Believers Beware, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli’s fateful words, uttered in response to a question posed by Justice Samuel Alito during oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges,² likely sent chills up the spines of leaders in faith-based educational institutions, from pre-schools to universities. In Obergefell, a bare majority of the Supreme Court legalized same-sex unions in the United States. Verrilli’s words, combined with the outcome in Obergefell, have a potentially chilling effect on religious freedom. The decision does not only impact educational institutions—the primary focus of this article—but also a wide array of houses of worship. Other religiously affiliated …

Bridgewater State University Factbook, 2015-2016, Office Of Institutional Research, Bridgewater State University

Factbook

No abstract provided.