Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Spring/Summer 2020)

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Contents

Call for Papers . v

Editorial Policy, Deadlines, and Submission Guidelines . vi

Dedication to Rae Rosenthal . vii

Editor’s Introduction ix — Ada Long

Forum essays on “The Professionalization of Honors”

The Professionalization of Honors Education 3 — Patricia J. Smith

Honors, Professionalism, and Teaching and Learning: A Response to Certification 19 — John Zubizarreta

The Body of Honors: Certification as an Expression of Disciplinary Power 25 — Richard Badenhausen

A Requiem for Certification, A Song of Honors 33 — Jeffrey A. Portnoy

Swan Song 45 — Joan Digby

A Different Kind of Agitation . …

Editor's Note, Lindsay Bernhagen

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Editor's note for To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, volume 39, issue 1 from spring 2020.

What's The Problem Now?, Randall Bass

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Revisiting an essay from 1999, this article explores the current conditions in higher education, and society more broadly, that help shape the roles for the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and educational development. By seeing the current “crises” of higher education not only as “problems” to be investigated but as a “wicked problem,” we might be able to elevate and complicate the role that inquiry into teaching and learning might play in institutional change and the expansion of higher education. The article argues for the necessity, even urgency, of seeing educational development as a lever for change, fully engaged …

(Cultural) Taxation Without Representation? How Educational Developer Can Broker Discourse On Black Faculty Lives In The #Blacklivesmatter Era, Richard J. Reddick, Beth E. Bukoski, Stella L. Smith

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Predominantly White institutions (PWIs) in creative class cities offer contradictory experiences for Black faculty, who engage in invisible additional labor in response to racial aggressions, termed cultural taxation (CT). With an understanding that equity-minded faculty development is an essential space in which to respond to this reality, our study employed a phenomenological focus group design to investigate how Black faculty at a research-intensive PWI located in a creative class city buffeted by racial tensions navigated their service and community experiences. While finding their work meaningful, the participants shared experiences of the multifaceted nature of CT, their stress from teaching about …

Motivated Reasoning And Persuading Faculty Change In Teaching, Gary A. Smith

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Many faculty members demonstrate unwavering resistance to adopting research-based instructional strategies. This phenomenon commonly fits with motivated reasoning, whereby a person feels threatened by persuasion to change, leading to overtly defensive and sometimes disruptive behaviors and refusal. Changing away from established practices may challenge one’s self-identity and values as an effective teacher and triggers arguments intended to invalidate research-based alternatives. Faculty who are motivated to reject consensus best practices may impede the implementation of these practices across entire departments or institutions. Motivated reasoning and its underlying cognitive processes are explained by self-determination theory, which leads to predictions of faculty behaviors …

Motivations And Obstacles Influencing Faculty Engagement In Adopting Teaching Innovations, Wayne Jacobson, Renee Cole

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Significant progress has been made in understanding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and ways it can be improved, but propagation of change remains a challenge. This study presents an analysis of STEM faculty responses to open-text survey questions that asked them to identify motivations and obstacles to making changes in their teaching. Responses reveal wide variability among faculty perceptions, conceptualizations of change, and understandings of evidence. These findings suggest reasons faculty are not uniformly receptive to calls for change and challenge educational developers and advocates of STEM education reform to be explicit about their own understandings of meaningful …

The Diffusion Of Faculty Development: A Faculty Fellows Program, Tracy W. Smith, Sara J. Greenwald, Lillian Y. Nave, Victor N. Mansure, Michael L. Howell

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This critical retrospective review describes the ideation, creation, and implementation of a faculty development fellows program at a regional comprehensive university. The authors share their perspectives as fellows regarding primary considerations for designing the program, including attention to the fellows selection process, required multilevel support, cultivation of communication and relationships, professional development of the fellows, development of unit programming, and lessons learned. Each section of the article concludes with critical questions institutions might consider when conceiving a faculty development fellows program.

Building A Social Network Around Sotl Through Digital Space, Shannon M. Sipes, Samy L. Minix, Matt Barton

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In an effort to increase visibility of and access to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) work on one campus, a collaboration formed between a faculty developer, a librarian, and a media specialist within a center for teaching and learning (CTL). Building on the frameworks of community of practice, professional learning network, and social networking, the authors strategically leveraged digital space to begin building a social network of faculty members interested in SoTL. This article will address the theoretical foundation and practical implementation of five digital strategies: (a) website redesign; (b) social media presence; (c) blog series; (d) filmed …

Assessment Literacy In College Teaching: Empirical Evidence On The Role And Effectiveness Of A Faculty Training Course, Kyle D. Massey, Christopher Deluca, Danielle Lapointe-Mcewan

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This research explores how faculty members’ conceptions of assessment and confidence in assessment change as a result of an instructor training course. Based on a sample of 27 faculty members enrolled in a semester-long instructional development course, this survey-based study provides initial evidence that faculty members can develop confidence in assessment while adopting increasingly complex conceptions of assessment. Based on this study’s findings, we argue that instructional development programs for college faculty have a critical role to play in stimulating faculty learning about assessment of student learning and are an important component in promoting a positive assessment culture.

Cultivating And Sustaining A Faculty Culture Of Data-Driven Teaching And Learning: A Systems Approach, Marsha Lovett, Chad Hershock

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

A prominent goal of colleges and universities today is to enact data-driven teaching and learning. Faculty clearly play a key role, and yet they tend to have limited time, a lack of training in assessment or education research, and few incentives for engaging in this work. We describe a framework designed to address the practical and cultural aspects of these challenges via a cycle of educational development and support: motivate, educate, facilitate, disseminate. We illustrate this systems approach with concrete examples and conclude with lessons learned from our experiences that should translate to a variety of institutional contexts.

La Integración De Las Necesidades Especiales Educativas En Aulas Convencionales Chilenos: Investigación Y Experiencias Vividas, Julia Alfiere

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El movimiento hacia la integración de estudiantes con necesidades especiales educativas (NEE) en aulas convencionales ha ganado tracción en los últimos veinte años como un asunto no solamente del reforma educacional, pero de derechos para estudiantes con discapacidades y necesidades educativas especiales también. Este informe investiga los resultados del movimiento hacia la integración con relación a la experiencia de integración en sí, y el rendimiento académico y la experiencia en el aula de los estudiantes con NEE. En el proceso de investigación para este informe, se entrevistaron varios partes interesadas, como docentes de educación diferencial y padres de estudiantes con …

External Funding Bulletin, January - June 2020, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Sponsored Programs Bulletins

This bulletin features recent award recipients.

2019-2020 Faculty Tenure Report, University Of Northern Iowa, University Of Iowa, Iowa State University

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Statistical report showing the number of faculty at the University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa, and Iowa State University that are tenured, on the tenure track, or not on the tenure track, broken down by college, department, gender, minority status, and if full or part time.

Predicting Academic Achievement Based On Sense Of Community Among Online Public High School Students, Randy Boydie Maraj

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Limited research has investigated the relationship between sense of community and academic achievement, as determined by students’ self-reported Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) scores. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the extent by which sense of community can predict academic achievement among online public high school students. The predictor variables were social community and learning community. The criterion variable was academic achievement using student’s PSAT/NMSQT scores. The school form of the Classroom and School Community Inventory was given to 98 online high school students to complete. They represented a major suburban public …

2020 April 1 - Board Of Trustees Finance And Administration Committee Public Notice, Board Of Trustees, East Tennessee State University

Board of Trustees Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Knowledge Worker Creativity In Bureaucratic Organizations: A Grounded Theory Study, Jaime Macias

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Through a grounded theory qualitative study consisting of interviews, observations, and document reviews, this study examined a mid-sized military organization to answer two questions: (1) How does the military organizational design (i.e., bureaucracy) influence the creative process? and (2) How do leaders amplify (mitigate) the positive (negative) effects of bureaucracy on the creative process? The data suggest that the perceived tension between organizational hierarchy and creativity is mitigated by the immediate supervisor’s behavior and ability to navigate the bureaucratic landscape. This study added to the existing body of research on creativity in the workplace in two ways. First, the researcher …

Being Global Means More Than Traveling Around The Globe … So, What Does It Mean?, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Being global means more than traveling around the globe. Being global means having a culturally proficient mindset. Having a culturally proficient mindset involves celebrating and advocating for diversity and being willing to face our own conscious and unconscious biases while also accepting the fact that some of us are born privileged. I know I was born in and with privileges. I accept that I have biases because of cultural and familial values and beliefs.

This reflection is a product of teaching a course for future school leaders on diversity in schools, my own educational and leadership journey, and my passion …

2020 April 1 - Board Of Trustees Finance And Administration Committee Agenda And Minutes, Board Of Trustees, East Tennessee State University

Board of Trustees Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

From Bible College To University: Factors Related To Institutional Change During The Leadership Of Three University Presidents From 1979 To The Present, Rustin B. Lloyd

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Higher education is known for its slow rate of change, but as the 21st century continues institutions of higher education (IHEs) are feeling the pressure to adapt. In addition to the pressures faced by higher education at large, Christian IHEs faces increasing secularization. This qualitative case study examined the underlying history and rationale for transition and change during the administrations of three presidents. Using organization change theory, three administrators were interviewed to determine the factors that influenced change at a Christian IHE from 1979 to 2019. The institutional changes in Christian higher education provided rich areas for research on leadership …

Silent Sam And Saunders Hall: Protests And Reactions At The University Of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Brienne Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Universities across the country have been forced to confront how they remember and memorialize the past on their campuses as students and community members protest building names and statues. This qualitative case study used Bolman and Deal’s four-frame theory as a framework to understand the response to protests at one school, the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. The fourframes provided insight into the complexities surrounding the changing of the name of Saunders Hall to Carolina Hall and the controversy surrounding the Confederate Monument known as Silent Sam. The symbolic frame was most evident in the conflicting meaning of symbols. …

Women’S Lived Experiences In Their Pathways To Leadership Positions In Universities In The Dominican Republic, Laura Sartori

Dissertations

There is a significant gender disparity in the highest leadership levels in Dominican universities. Research argues that in traditionalist societies and in some developing countries particularly, it is increasingly challenging for women to make it to top leadership. To achieve a fuller understanding of the current context for female leadership within Dominican higher education, there is a need for research that can serve to establish an initial framework of information about the experiences of female leaders.

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of women who occupy leadership positions in Dominican universities. Feminist standpoint epistemology …

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of The Development And Implementation Of A Comprehensive School Safety Plan, Rachina Holman Heron

Dissertations

Abstract The problem addressed within this qualitative study involved exploring the limited research regarding kindergarten through fifth grade teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of the school’s Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP). The purpose of this study was to explore six kindergarten through fifth grade teachers’ perspectives of their school’s safety plan. First, the study described how elementary teachers perceived the professional development or training received in preparation for implementing their school’s safety plan. Second, the study explored six elementary teachers’ perceptions of their ability to implement their school’s safety plan using semi-structured interviews. Finally, areas where elementary teachers perceive they …

District Solutions For Resource Effectiveness: A Local Education Agency Leadership Approach, Tammy Saleem

Dissertations

Decades of laser focused attention on student assessment score data had an adverse impact of stifling the development of data skill sets in one Local Education Agency (LEAs). Implementing one district resource daily throughout each school year for over three years had the potential to cultivate and yield higher data skills for staff compared to the effect of a one point in time report of yearly assessment scores. Monitoring district resources for effectiveness offered a solution oriented approach to advance staff data skill sets with implications for student growth. Adapting the federal education policy maker strategy of using a policy …

Elevating The Response To Intervention Framework: Positioning Data To Forge Change Needed For Stronger Rti Practices, Tammy Saleem

Dissertations

The Change Plan study reflects an extended interest originating from the Saleem (2019) program evaluation study. The Saleem (2019) program evaluation revealed the absence of critical elements used to mobilize RtI supports and trigger adjustments to Tier II level interventions. Following the program evaluation were two meaningful action research activities including efforts of elevating the RtI framework and improving data collection forms. The plausibility of deep rooted factors continuing to exist in current RtI operations prompted research efforts of the Change Plan. Using Wagner’s 4C’s “As Is” and “To Be”diagnostic tools provided a lens into RtI orientations and sustained behaviors …

The Influence Of Fraternity Membership On The Leadership Identity Development Of Latino Men Attending Primarily White Institutions (Pwis), Francisco M. Lugo

All Theses And Dissertations

With the projected increase in the number of Hispanic/Latino students enrolling in postsecondary institutions, there has been an increase in studies on student success that have focused more on Hispanic/Latino students attending Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). One of the key factors that emerged as an under-examined but important aspect for the success of Hispanic/Latino students has been leadership development (Lozano, 2015, p. 3). Little is known about the “leadership development, capacity, and experiences while in college” of Hispanic/Latino males (Garcia, Huerta, Ramirez, & Patrón, 2017, p. 1). Garcia et al. (2017) pointed out that “scholars have examined the leadership development …

The Value Of Food: A Small Rural School Cafeteria Budget Case Study, Rosie Rochelle Slentz

All Theses And Dissertations

This mixed-methods case study was used to examine a small school district in a rural setting that operates a child nutrition program without encroaching on the general fund, while still serving organic, made-from-scratch meals. Current research confirms that school districts are challenged to balance the requirements of the National School Lunch Program while maintaining quality. School lunch programs, particularly small rural ones, are operating at a deficit. This researcher addressed an important gap by providing a comprehensive account of a fiscally sound cafeteria budget in a rural area for a small school, serving 150 lunches per day. In this study, …

Cultivating Leaders: Professional Development Needs Of Community College Chairs, Heidi Kirkman

All Theses And Dissertations

Higher education is currently experiencing industry changes that make good leadership even more crucial. However, most academic leaders arrive at their first leadership position with no leadership training and find the transition challenging. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine the lived experiences of community college chairs in relation to leadership development practices. The research questions that drive this study are (a) What competencies/skills are needed for performing the department chair role? (b) What are the professional development needs of community college department chairs? (c) What types of professional development do department chairs find most valuable? (d) What …

Sense Of Belonging Among Foreign-Born And U.S.-Born Latinx Subgroups At A Community College, Raquel Cotuno

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored sense of belonging among 15 U.S.-born and foreign-born Latinx students at a community college designated as a Hispanic serving institution. To further explore sense of belonging among these students, semi-structured interviews were conducted with both groups of students. The results indicated that U.S.-born Latinx students contributed sense of belonging to instructors who displayed characteristics of equal treatment, genuineness, and support in and outside of the classroom. Instructors who displayed these characteristics made students feel more connected to the instructor and to the college as a whole. Results also indicated that foreign-born Latinx students credited their …

National Board Certified Teachers’ Perceptions Of Developing Teacher-Student Relationships: A Case Study In A Title 1 Suburban Middle School In The Southeastern United States, Tara T. Bensinger

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this study was to explore how National Board Certified teachers build relationships and cultivate empathy with middle school students in a Title 1 suburban school in the Southeastern United States. This qualitative case study was founded on the relational cultural theory, which focuses on the importance of authentic relationships. The research participants were two male and five female National Board Certified teachers of various subjects and grade levels. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants to gather the data. Themes that emerged were that the NBCTs were authentic, attentive, accepting, relational, and socially and emotionally supportive in relationship …

A Correlational Study Of The Relationships Between Individual Entrepreneurial Orientations Of Community College Leaders And College Students’ Success, Michael Mcpherson

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this study was to examine the mathematical relationships between the individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) of academic leaders in the Florida College System and their institutions’ student success rates. Some leaders in academia have suggested that academic leaders of postsecondary institutions adopt entrepreneurial behaviors and traits in an effort to adapt to rapidly changing environments. In this descriptive study, academic leaders in the Florida College system were surveyed to determine their IEO. The researcher obtained student success rates for each institution in the Florida College System. Data were analyzed using Pearson r correlations between IEO scores of academic …