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Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period November 6, 2023 - January 29, 2024.

• Arnold, Emilee. WKU Memorabilia – Big Red, Hilltoppers
• Wilborn, Price. Renee Shaw Inducted into Hall of Distinguished Alumni
• Dobberstein, Molly. WKU’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni – Claude Bloch, Charles Reynolds, Amir Zaheri
• Costellow, Ali. LGBTQ+ WKU Alumni Share Stories from the Hill – Karen Stewart, Georgena Brackett, Spencer Jenkins, Seth Church
• Homecoming Hotspots – Restaurants
• Abney, Shayla. Veterans & ROTC Cadets Share Experiences on the Hill
• Edmonds, Luke & Jake McMahon. Home Field Advantage – Football Fans
• Dobberstein, Molly & Maggie Phelps. Who’s …

“What Factors Cause African American Males To Persist Or Depart Before The End Of Their Second Year Of College?”, Rickey Dornell Thompson Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate how African American male students persist through or depart before the end of the second year of their college journey. African American male students tend to drop out of college after their first year and sometimes after their first semester of college. There were several variables and themes that emerged in this study. The dependent variable is the persistence of African American males through their second year of college. The mediating variables, that aimed to explain the relationship between the dependent and independent variables were extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. The …

Ineffective School Leadership: Teachers Weigh-In, Jerry Burkett, Sonya D. Hayes

School Leadership Review

Effective school leaders are essential to the success of the school environment. Teachers have left schools due to poor and ineffective campus leadership, but often do not report the reasons why they left or do not have a safe mechanism in place to support their claims and drive campus change. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the perceptions of teachers who work in elementary, middle, and high schools in Texas on the qualities of ineffective principals and how these qualities affect teacher retention. Respondents in an open-ended survey reported that ineffective principals lacked character, professionalism, and ethics; …

Personal Power Tactics African American Female Superintendents Employ To Overcome Four Identified Self-Sabotaging Behaviors, Angela Brantley

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-method study was to identify and describe personal power tactics that African American female superintendents employ to overcome the four identified self-sabotaging behaviors from the Self Sabotaging Framework adapted from Lerner (2012), Ryder and Briles (2003).

Methodology: This study identified and described the lived experiences of seven female African American superintendents across the United States. This research design encompassed a sequential data collection method using an electronic survey instrument, followed by one-on-one interviews. Based on the quantitative and qualitative data, the researcher was able to triangulate data using the trends, categories, and patterns …

The Transparency Problem In Higher Education Administration: Using A Grounded Theory To Create A Model For Rebuilding Trust, Linda Romano

Theses and Dissertations

Tuition-dependent higher education institutions face myriad external and internal challenges, including waning public confidence, demographic shifts, systemic sluggishness, and reduced workforces. Research on higher education administration tends to focus on senior-level leaders, with the operational experience of rank-and-file administrators largely absent from scholarly inquiry. This research endeavors to address the gaps in research by centering the experiences of entry and mid-level non-unionized administrators at tuition-dependent institutions. Guided by systems theory and using Kathy Charmaz’s Constructivist Grounded Theory methodological approach, this research presents a grounded theory of broken trust and a foundational pipeline model to mitigate this breakdown in trust and …

Ua68/6 Newsletter, Wku Gender & Women's Studies

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the WKU Gender & Women's Studies Program.

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Special Education Teachers Tasked With Ensuring Parental Involvement In Special Education Processes, Dharmisha Tailor Narayanan

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) mandates parental participation in special education processes, yet families, especially culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families, often face obstacles in their active involvement as an equal team member in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Although there has been research on identifying the barriers families face in their active involvement in their child’s special education programming, little has been done to understand the impediments teachers face in alleviating this problem and adequately enforcing parents’ rights within special education processes. This qualitative phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of special education teachers responsible for implementing …

From Teacher Attrition To Teacher Retention: The Role Of School Principals, Karen Balmer

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study explored the role of school principals as an intervention to the teacher shortage crisis in the United States. The shortage of teachers is not a new topic in public policy and research; however, the strategies set forth in prior literature have not yielded substantive change to this stubborn problem. Using data from the 2020–2021 National Teacher and Principal Survey, this study analyzed the relationship between the perceptions of early career teachers (within the first 5 years of teaching) about behaviors of their school principals and these teachers’ intentions to remain in the teaching profession. Specifically, this study …

The Rise In Racial Tension: Metropolitan High School Administrators' Perceptions Of School Resource Officers, Joshua Stephen Mahan

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although heuristic models on safety for Black students have been proposed following the death of George Floyd (Edwards, 2021), little research to date has highlighted how Minnesota educational leaders perceive school resource officers (SROs) in schools. This phenomenological investigation explored the shared lived experiences of six Minnesota high school administrators from one school district that employed SROs. Five themes were determined in the course of data analysis, including qualified advocacy for SROs, SRO contributions to de-escalating for safer schools, SRO assistance in emergency situations, SRO caused escalation, and SRO caused racial harm. Findings from this study revealed support for SROs …

Examining Onboarding Practices In School Settings: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective, Gabriel Medina

Dissertations of Practice

This dissertation examines the onboarding practices implemented in several schools within a district and their impacts on teacher retention and the culture and climate of the schools. The theoretical lens of self-determination theory was used to determine areas of strength and growth of onboarding with respect to the three basic human psychological needs of autonomy, belonging, and competence. Drawing on this theory, the research aimed to reveal how onboarding practices support or hinder fulfillment of these basic psychological needs in a school setting. By examining how teachers perceive their onboarding experiences, the study sheds light on the relationship between the …

Can High School Gpa Predict College-Level Course Success At Community Colleges?, Joseph M. Bergman

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

CAN HIGH SCHOOL GPA PREDICT COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSE SUCCESS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE?

Joseph M. Bergman, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University, 2024

Xiaodan Hu, Director

In an effort to find a more convenient, lower-cost college readiness measure to increase access to college-level courses for more students without increasing student stress and sacrificing student success, Aurum Community College piloted the use of high school GPA as a college readiness measure while continuing to use the established standardized placement exam. Based on the placement measure used, this quantitative study examined student success in an introductory college-level composition course, …

Chronic Absenteeism In Ohio: An Analysis Of Four School Districts In Scioto County, Ohio, Gregory Williams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This present study utilized a phenomenological design to investigate administrators’ perceptions of barriers to student attendance, current approaches to mitigating or removing those barriers, and the extent to which those approaches were effective. This study utilized interviews with area administrators where they were able to provide detailed responses to questions aligned with the research questions. Results found that, in this region of Ohio, administrators believed the biggest barrier to student attendance was parental support and transportation. Through the implementation of multiple innovative and out-of-the-box strategies, administrators felt strongly about the future success of the implementation of state required attendance supports …

An Analysis Of K-8 School Transportation: Understanding The Need, Gauging The Effectiveness, And Defining Best Practice, Leeann D. Taylor

Dissertations of Practice

School transportation plays a critical role in schools, helping students gain access to their education and school sponsored extracurricular activities each day. This study examined the history, need, and future of school-provided transportation in efforts to establish the components of a tool by which districts can gauge the effectiveness of current transportation practices. To organize the research, data, and final framework in the most meaningful way, the final product was divided into three individual papers.

Paper 1 reviews the existing literature reviewed the history, significance, and anticipated developments in the field of school transportation. Paper 2 curates the results of …

Learning To Lead With An Equity Lens: A Case Study Of A Principal Residency Program, Maurice L. Davis

Dissertations of Practice

School districts throughout the United States are challenged with the plague of educator turnover. In particular, building principals are exiting school buildings causing gaps in system consistencies leading to negative perceptions of school culture and decreases in student achievement. Universities are working to assess and redevelop principal preparation programs (PPPs) to support principals and the skill sets needed to be successful within schools today. By increasing the skill of a building principal to lead using an equity lens and developing theories of action to address the frustration initiated by urban school working conditions, principals may develop a greater sense of …

A Braven New World: A Qualitative Case Study Of Career Readiness Efforts On Career Identity And Career Self-Efficacy For Students At A 4-Year Public University, Catherine W. Doederlein

Dissertations of Practice

A Braven New World: A Qualitative Case Study of Career Readiness Efforts on Career Identity and Career Self-Efficacy for Students at a 4-Year Public University

With much of the research on career courses being quantitative in nature, the purpose of this dissertation was to use a qualitative case study approach to understand, through student voices, how participation in a career preparation course can contribute to a college student’s career self-efficacy, career identity, and personal agency in pursuit of their intended career path. Findings revealed that students developed a more authentic confidence about their career development, experienced enhancement to their career …

It Takes A Village: Understanding Community College Chief Diversity Officers’ Experiences With Mentoring Relationships, Keith R. Barnes Dr.

Dissertations of Practice

This interpretive phenomenological analysis explores community college CDOs’ experiences with mentoring relationships. Seven CDOs employed at community colleges in the US Midwest Region participated in a semi-structured interview to share how they made meaning of their mentoring experiences and their impact on their career and psychosocial development. The findings highlighted two pivotal moments when the community college CDOs in the study received mentoring experiences to form an evolutionary process: the onboarding phase, when the participants sought mentoring relationships from the institution, and the sustaining phase, when the participants were more self-directed in securing high-quality mentoring experiences. The findings illuminated five …

Investigating The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Burnout Among Special Education Teachers In Iowa, Erica M. Boettcher

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emotional intelligence (EI) can play a critical role in the well-being of teachers and may significantly impact the risk of burnout. Teachers with higher EI are better equipped to manage stress, regulate their emotions, and navigate challenges of the classroom, with the intended result to reduce teachers’ emotional exhaustion. Conversely, teachers with lower EI may struggle to cope with the emotional demands of the job, leading them to burnout in the profession they spent years preparing for. Recognizing this connection helps educators understand the importance of supporting teachers in developing EI skills, which could enhance their resilience and overall job …

Ua35/3 Provost's Message, Wku Provost

WKU Administration Documents

2024 Provost's Messages issued to faculty & staff via email. Discussions of Biochemistry, death of Craig Cobane, awards, freedom of speech, Graduate Studies, Registrar, Research & Commercialization, Gordon Ford College of Business, and Ogden College of Science & Engineering.

Black Principals’ Navigation Of Politically Conservative Challenges To Public School Curricula: Effects On Administrator Attrition, Hamisi Tarrant

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative study explored the experiences and perceptions of Black principals regarding the influence of politically conservative efforts on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; critical race theory (CRT); and curriculum related to slavery in K–12 schools. The study was grounded in the increasing politicization of education, particularly as it pertained to race and identity, and examined how Black school leaders navigate these pressures. A review of the literature revealed the persistent challenges faced by Black principals, including racial discrimination, professional isolation, and a lack of support systems, compounded by the rise of conservative ideologies in education. The research sought …

Building A Pipeline For Transfer And Scholarship Through (Virtual) Honors Research Partnerships, Lauri B. Cockfield

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Excerpt:

At the start of the 2020 academic year, I was approached by the president of the Barry Goldwater Foundation, who invited the Perimeter Honors College to participate in a new initiative they were undertaking with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to identify excellent candidates for the Goldwater scholarship from groups underrepresented in STEM. We were already establishing a framework in research that included appointment of a new Research and Scholarship Coordinator in the honors college, a campus-based research showcase, and a new research partnership with an interdisciplinary bachelor’s program. Because one of the goals of these structural changes …

For Here Or To Go? (Re)Packaging The Takeaway, Randi Polk

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

In this chapter, I intend to walk readers through my thought process for creating a virtual study abroad course and show how it was informed by lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as current pedagogical trends. I will then discuss the implementation, including what worked and what did not go as planned. Finally, I will show how this course culminated in a student-led conference presentation and how this topic has shaped future thinking for Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) honors regarding global learning opportunities.

Navigating Without Knowing, Elizabeth M. Hodge, Bhibha M. Das, Tim Christensen, Teal Darkenwald, Gerald Weckesser, Wayne Godwin

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This chapter examines the process and outcomes of how honors college faculty at a southeastern university shifted their introductory freshmen seminar from a traditional face-to-face format to an online one. These shifts included using technological resources, innovative pedagogy, and social media to foster a sense of community within the honors college. The chapter provides several examples grounded in Chickering and Gamson’s “seven principles of good practice,” which readers can utilize to improve teaching and learning. An overview of the course design using Canvas as the learning management system along with pedagogical examples grounded in the nationally recognized Quality Matters standards …

A Call To Serve: Novice Urban Catholic School Teachers' Sense Of Purpose In Life, Compassion, Faith, And Justice, Ella Anghel, Kierstin M. Giunco, Audrey A. Friedman, Myra Rosen-Reynoso, Charles T. Cownie Iii, Cristina J. Hunter

Journal of Catholic Education

Educators are instrumental in nurturing students’ sense of purpose, particularly in urban schools. Consequently, these educators must not only have a strong sense of purpose but also possess other key virtues. This mixed-methods study explores these virtues among a group of 30 urban Catholic school teachers. They responded to scales measuring purpose, compassion, faith, moral development and agency, and completed a modified Youth Purpose Interview online. Scores were compared to those of the original samples upon which these scales were validated as they were also emerging adults. Participants scored significantly higher on almost all scales than the original samples. These …

2023-2024 - Undergraduate Curriculum Council Annual Report, Undergraduate Curriculum Council, East Tennessee State University

Undergraduate Curriculum Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Onboarding Students At Scale: A New Student Orientation Course That Prepares Students To Succeed In Their Online Degree Programs, Heather J. Leslie Phd

Learning Design Center: Staff Scholarship

A new online orientation course equips students with the tools and skills to thrive in online programs. It welcomes them to the university, introduces the learning management system, fosters peer connection, and locates essential resources. Additionally, it teaches valuable strategies for time management, motivation, and success in online learning. This adaptable base course caters to the university’s diverse online programs while maintaining a core structure. Designed for efficient facilitation by Academic Directors, it also allows for a personalized touch. Surveys indicate the course effectively prepares students for their first online course. Notably, completing the orientation has become the strongest predictor …

Unwritten Ground Rules Of School Choice: Excavating Capital As A Regulator Of Access To Educational Goods, Jason E. Saltmarsh

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

District leaders in school choice contexts tend to overlook the many hidden costs of selecting schools in terms of mobility, time, liquidity, and labor. Meanwhile, a body of literature on school choice policies and cultural, social, and political capital shows that middle-class parents use the resources they possess to get the school access they want. In this study, I critically examine the complex interplay between school choice policies and forms of capital. This analysis extends our empirical understanding of the political dimensions of families’ school choices—the way parent resources, relationships, and strategies determine “who gets what, when, and how” (Laswell, …

The Establishment And Sustainment Of Trauma-Informed Culture Perspectives Of Trauma-Sensitive Principals In Elementary Public Schools, Elizabeth R. Foreman

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The COVID-19 pandemic brought much awareness to the public education system and the role it plays in alleviating the adverse effects of childhood trauma. However, extant literature has focused mainly on classroom-level interventions rather than school-wide interventions implemented by school leadership. This study examines the perspectives of trauma-sensitive principals in public elementary schools on implementing TIPs. The research questions that guided this study are as follows: What are elementary principals' perceptions regarding implementing school-wide TIPs? What are the leadership approaches of principals in trauma-informed schools? Two findings were identified: (1) principals proactively establish a trauma-informed culture, and (2) principals sustain …

Through The Looking Glass: Honors In Virtual Reality, Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Within the context of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the author discusses the potential role of virtual reality technologies in honors programs in instiitutions of higher education.

Online Faculty Professional Development And Community As Nexus, John Zubizarreta, Beata M. Jones, Marca V. C. Wolfensberger

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Our goal is to share ideas and experiences related to the design of dynamic, interactive professional development opportunities that focus on learning skills for managing remote or online teaching but more importantly that create a relationship-rich sense of community. Our Honors International Faculty Learning Online (HIFLO) model is a successful example in honors, but it offers reasonably adaptable strategies that can be used in future virtual professional development ventures inside or outside of honors. No matter what other topics may be addressed in later Honors International Faculty Institute (HIFI) or HIFLO seminars, the essential principle of community will always be …

Online Education, Honors, And The Engaged University: Modeling Experiential Learning For Fully Online Students At Fort Hays State University, Kevin S. Amidon, Gregory Atkins

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This essay outlines the principles upon which the Fort Hays State University Honors Online initiative will be based and proposes ways of achieving successful honors outcomes in student-centered ways that are appropriate and meaningful to both on-campus and online cohorts. We propose a structure guided by a Community of Inquiry (COI) framework that respects and reflects the social, cognitive, and academic needs of diverse students as individuals and groups. This results in a concentric curricular model in which the student’s academic major field provides a broad, encompassing space for inner fields of co-curricular experiential learning and service. Honors staff work …