Institutional Retention And Graduation Outcomes Before And During Covid-19: A Comparison Of Online-Experienced And Online-Inexperienced Four-Year Institutions, Nicholas J. Finnessey

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether student success outcomes and their trajectories over time differed across higher education institutions before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic based on prior experience with online education. Guided by Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Output (I-E-O) framework, pre-pandemic participation in online coursework was conceptualized as an institutional-level environmental condition. A quantitative, causal-comparative research design was employed, using secondary data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), to examine longitudinal differences in institutional retention and graduation rates across institutions classified by their pre-pandemic participation in online education. The sample included 528 Title IV-eligible, degree-granting, four-year institutions observed across five …

The Acculturation Of International-Born Student Affairs Administrators In The United States, Amber Joy Webb

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative study explored how international student affairs administrators in the United States experience acculturation. Guided by Berry’s (1997) fourfold model of acculturation, the study examined how participants experienced assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization as they navigated their professional roles, institutional expectations, and cultural identities. Eight participants, representing diverse countries of origin, institutional types, and professional roles, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework. Findings indicated participants employed multiple, context-dependent acculturation strategies rather than adhering to a single strategy. Assimilation emerged as a strategic process for establishing professional legitimacy, navigating …

Reconceptualizing Instructional Supervision For Stem Education In The Digital Age, Armen Alvarez

Theses and Dissertations

This conceptual thesis reconceptualizes instructional supervision for AI-enabled STEM teaching in the Digital Age. Traditional supervision models, including clinical, developmental, and cognitive coaching, emphasize human-centered observation and feedback but lack guidance for supervising AI-mediated instruction, interpreting algorithmic outputs, and addressing neurodiverse learner variability. Using integrative literature review methodology, this thesis synthesizes scholarship across five theoretical foundations: epistemic perspectives, the neurodiversity paradigm, Universal Design for Learning, human-centered AI and educational leadership, and supervision literature.

The resulting conceptual framework organizes supervisory attention into four interconnected domains:

• human-centered AI use in teaching and assessment,
• neurodiversity- and UDL-informed pedagogy,
• relational and compassionate classroom climate, …

Tensions And Possibilities: A Study Of International Graduate Students' Encounters With Critical Pedagogy In The United States, Munchuree Kaosayapandhu

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the question, “How do international graduate students experience and negotiate their encounters with critical pedagogy across time and educational contexts?” The research was motivated by the researcher’s own experience in encountering critical pedagogy and prior studies focusing on critical pedagogy from the teacher perspective. This left a gap in understanding the student experience. The research used the phenomenology paradigm. The participants included six international graduate students in education studies programs. Using the phenomenological interview approach, each participant was asked over a series of three interviews about past experiences of education, their initial encounters with critical pedagogy and …

Cultivating Culturally Responsive Special Educators: A Qualitative Study Of Self-Efficacy Journeys Across Preservice Preparation And Inservice Professional Development, Ashley R. Norton

Theses and Dissertations

In an increasingly diverse society, educators must be prepared to effectively instruct students from a wide range of cultural, linguistic, and ability backgrounds. Teacher self-efficacy in culturally responsive practices (CRP) is critical to achieving equitable educational outcomes, particularly in special education, where students often experience multiple forms of marginalization. Despite the importance of culturally responsive teaching, limited research has examined how special educators develop culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE) over the course of their professional careers, particularly in urban school districts serving culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations.

This qualitative study explored the self-efficacy journeys of special educators and their …

Examining Challenges For Sociology Master’S Degree Students At California State University, David Ortuno

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the lived experiences of CSU sociology graduate students pursuing a master’s degree. Seven sociology graduate students from six of the eight (75%) total sociology MA programs throughout the entire CSU system were interviewed. Their responses were designed to analyze the support systems and challenges they face while pursuing a master's degree, as well as to investigate whether their experiences correlate with or fail to correlate with the promises in the CSU mission statement, and to answer the study’s research questions and achieve the purpose of this qualitative study.

Four themes emerged from …

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 …

Ai Bots As Law Teachers: What Is Left For Human Professors To Do?, Harold I. Abramson

Scholarly Works

This article considers what bots can do as AI law teachers, how students are already using bots for learning, how to integrate the use of AI into law courses, and what faculty can do to stay ahead of the bots in their classrooms. During this discussion, the article confronts the existential question of what is left for human law professors to do in an AI world. It concludes that there is a future for humans for now, and one that might make us better teachers.

Grading In The Digital Age: Ai Feedback Versus Professor Feedback, Latoya Russell, Andrew Zeisler, Ronald Mickler Jr.

2026 Faculty Bibliography

Feedback is a cornerstone of academic development, particularly in marketing education, where skill development often requires iteration and applied practice. While instructors spend considerable time providing effective feedback, artificial intelligence (AI) tools can significantly reduce this burden by generating timely, tailored responses. For example, AI-based chatbots can supplement instruction, providing students with timely feedback and reducing instructors’ workload. This study examines how marketing students perceive feedback quality based on its source, specifically whether it is delivered by an AI system or a human instructor. Through a scenario-based experiment, we investigate student perceptions of feedback quality and effectiveness based on the …

Translating Writing Studies Into Institutional Practice: Embedding Rhetorical Pedagogy In A Jesuit Core Curriculum, Tom Pace

2026 Faculty Bibliography

This article provides an account of how John Carroll University redesigned the role of writing in its core curriculum to embed rhetorical pedagogy across all four years of a student’s academic career. Rather than viewing general education changes as a bureaucratic hurdle, this study demonstrates how writing program administrators can align an institution’s local identity, in this case the Jesuit traditions of purposeful communication (eloquentia perfecta) and holistic care (cura personalis), with contemporary writing stud- ies research to inspire cross-disciplinary faculty ownership. Moving beyond a basic description of requirements, I present a narrative of rhetorical advo- cacy that operates across …

A Follow Up Metal Detecting Survey At The Blue Licks Battlefield Resort State Park, Adrian Mandzy

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

In March and April 2008, faculty and students from students from Morehead State University’s History program, along with members of the Battlefield Restoration and Archeological Volunteer Organization (BRAVO) conducted a survey of the Blue Licks Battlefield. Previous studies of the battlefield suggested that the area had been adversely impacted by modern development and that little or no resources connected with the events of 1782 remain. As a result of the 2008 survey, we were able to establish the precents of artifacts related to the events of 1782.

At the end of the 2008 field work, additional testing was called for, …

2026 Engage For Change Awards Program, Bonner Center For Civic Engagement

Engage for Change Awards

2026 Award Print: Hamilton Glass, Artist

Keynote Speaker: Hamilton Glass, Artist

Clifton Photo Service Photographic Negatives, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

This collection consists of 106 photographic negatives created by the Clifton Photo Service of Statesboro, Georgia. The images primarily depict local school life at Statesboro High School, Georgia Teachers College and Southeast Bulloch. Subjects include campus buildings and classrooms as well as student life, athletics, school events and student portraiture.

The Un-Bridged Pipeline: Leading And Preparing Women Of Color To Senior-Level Higher Education Administration, Jacqueline D. Slater

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite increased educational attainment among Black women, representation in senior‑level leadership positions within higher education remains limited. This qualitative study examines the experiences of Black women who serve or have served in senior‑level academic administrative roles and explores how those experiences inform guidance, preparation, and decision‑making for future Black women leaders. The study focuses on practical barriers, workplace realities, and strategies that shape leadership entry, advancement, and retention.

Using a descriptive case study design, five Black women with professional experience as presidents, provosts, vice provosts, and academic deans participated in semi‑structured interviews lasting 45 to 75 minutes. Purposeful sampling ensured …

The Open Knowledge Fellowship: An Opportunity For Transformative Learning At The Doctoral Level, Elvis Bakaitis, Jill Cirasella, Patrick Mcgee

Publications and Research

How can we integrate the principles, practicalities, and complexities of open educational resources (OER) and open access scholarly literature into graduate-level education? At the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), the popular and successful Open Knowledge Fellowship offers a much-needed intervention in doctoral education by addressing these topics and associated debates. Between 2020 and 2025, the intensive six-week Fellowship program was offered 12 times and trained over 200 doctoral students from across the disciplines in the selection and use of openly licensed resources in the courses they teach. These 200+ students then taught their revamped courses …

Adults With Dyslexia: Experiences Accessing And Using Reading Strategies And Assistive Technology, Brenda Rosalie King

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder of neurobiological origin characterized by persistent difficulties with accurate and/or fluent reading, word recognition, spelling, and decoding. Although dyslexia is widely recognized as a lifelong learning difference, the majority of research has historically focused on children and adolescents, with less attention given to adult experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore how adults with dyslexia access and use reading strategies and assistive technologies to support reading comprehension and independence across contexts. The study also examined barriers and supports influencing access to these tools, as well as the emotional experiences associated with their …

Growing Agroecology: Two Case Studies From The U.S. Student Farm Movement, Amelia B. Armstrong

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Scholars and activists identify agroecology as a crucial science, practice, and movement to move towards more just, equitable, and sustainable agriculture and food systems. Yet, the exploitative industrial food system, that deepens inequalities like food insecurity (Clapp et al., 2025), reduces farmer autonomy (Rotz, 2015), and contributes to increased carbon emissions (Lin et al., 2011) and biodiversity decline (Rotz, 2015), still dominates. Understanding and mobilizing the different spaces that teach agroecology, then, is a crucial step in challenging the dominant industrial food system. Agroecology education in university settings is an important domain to investigate as potential contributors to this movement, …

Where’S My Tweed Jacket With Leather Elbow Patches? The Challenges Of Aging Gracefully In Higher Education, John A. O’Rourke, Christina Gray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper presents an examination of one veteran academics’ experience in higher education. Via an autoethnographic reflection of a two-decade career, the work-related situations that impact on job enjoyment and challenge motivation to bring enthusiasm year-after-year are discussed. Veteran academics have seen higher education transform dramatically during their tenure and the pressure points that impact on wellbeing are discussed and aligned to contemporary research. In response to the challenges associated with aging in higher education, this paper examines how veteran academics need to prioritize self-care and explores ways that universities can maximize the accumulated knowledge and pedagogical skillset of these …

The Transformational Possibilities Of Liberal Vocationalism: A Case Study Of Post-Year 10 Outdoor Education In Western Australia, David Aldous, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper discusses the transformative potential that liberal vocationalism, aligned with contemporary visions of lifelong and lifewide learning, presents for outdoor learning across institutional and industry settings. Utilising Bernstein’s sociological theory, the paper explores this transformation through an illustrative case study of the relations, knowledges and identities of post-Year10 Outdoor Education in Western Australia (WA). The case study highlights how Outdoor Education in WA has been organised through distinct classificatory relations that exist between government, regulatory bodies and individual industry providers that serve to distinguish Outdoor Education from outdoor learning that is ongoing and able to be pursued by people …

Students’ Perspectives On Authentic Assessment: An Experiential Learning Framework For Work-Readiness And Employability, Claire Lambert, Madeleine Ogilvie, Stephanie Meek

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Universities are increasingly pressured to enhance graduate employability by embedding career readiness into curricula. Authentic, industry-based assessments offer a means to link theory with practice, yet little is known about their impact from the student perspective. Purpose: This study explored how an industry-based authentic assessment supports students’ transition to work through the lens of Experiential Learning Theory (ELT). Method: Using a qualitative design, guided-introspection questionnaires were completed by 20 marketing graduates 2 years after completing an industry-based social marketing project. Directed content analysis identified themes aligned with ELT stages and mechanisms of confidence, networks, and professional enculturation. Findings: Authentic …

Sport Participation And The Pursuit Of Active And Healthy Lifestyles: Everyday Athletes’ Relationships With Eating And Exercise, Valeria Varea, Eibhlish O'Hara, Dawn Penney, Victoria Evans

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose – Athletes are more likely to experience eating and exercise disorders than non-athletes. Little is known about the incidence of eating and exercise disorders amongst non-elite participants, many of whom participate outside of club governance and support structures. The aim of this paper is to explore eating and exercise attitudes and behaviours amongst participants in both formal and informal sport and, in so doing, generate insights to inform future educational initiatives that seek to promote healthy and active lifestyles. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was completed by 110 participants, 9 of whom were interviewed for the second phase of …

Standardizing Embolization Terminology In Non-Variceal Upper Gi Bleeding: Therapeutic, Preventive, And Empiric Approaches, Nurlan Aliyev, Lei Yu, Fedja A. Rochling, Ishfaq Bhat

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

N/A

Case Study: The Economic And Legal Challenges Moving From A Township To A City, George F. Dierberger Dr., Ibrahim Keita Dr., Cory Erickson

Journal of the North American Management Society

The paper examines the economic and legal challenges moving from a township to a municipality in the state of Minnesota. One of the authors was a member of the township board as they went through the process of educating the citizens on the risks and rewards of changing from a township to a municipality.

Maximizing Online Intersession Enrollment Through Targeted Course Offerings, Heather S. Mcmillan, Charles D. Mcallister

Journal of the North American Management Society

Abstract

Online winter intersession courses have become an increasingly important strategy for universities seeking to support accelerated student progression while generating incremental tuition revenue. This study examines ten years of winter intersession enrollment data from a public, master’s-level comprehensive university in the Midwestern United States to identify course characteristics associated with higher student enrollment. Using 12,520 individual enrollment records, the analysis focuses on course type (general education versus major requirement), course classification (lower level, upper level, blended undergraduate/graduate, and graduate), and course discipline. A series of ANOVAs and Bonferroni post-hoc tests reveal significant differences in enrollment across these dimensions, with …

Organizational Pitfalls Of The Dual-Identity Leader, Yvonne Randolph, Asa Wilson

Journal of the North American Management Society

The dual-identity leader (D-IL) is an individual assigned to one job description yet is, in practice, fulfilling an additional position’s role. This secondary role is self-determined; has not been assigned yet is being allowed by those with governance and/or executive authority. Three case examples of the D-IL are presented and discussed as a problematic leadership configuration for an organization. The personal characteristics driving this approach are identified as a foundation for clarifying the organizational consequences of such an executive leader. Preventative and corrective tactics are discussed that eliminate or minimize the adverse impact of the D-IL’s organizational behavior.

Reflections At The Close Of My Freshman Year As Editor, Heather S. Mcmillan

Journal of the North American Management Society

No abstract provided.

Exploring Hrm Practices In Academia: Comparative Insights From The Employees Of Polish, Maltese, And Finnish Universities, Sylwia Przytuła, Łukasz Sułkowski, Colin Borg

European Management Studies

Purpose: The aim of this article is threefold: to gain detailed insights into academic employees’ experiences and perceptions of human resource (HR) practices; to identify the challenges and opportunities perceived by academic actors in these practices; and to provide recommendations for further research.

Design/methodology/approach: The study involved 17 key informants from Polish (8), Maltese (5), and Finnish (4) universities. Data were analysed using semantic thematic analysis, resulting in a rich and nuanced understanding of the experiences shared by participants.

Findings: Findings reveal that respondents are primarily motivated to pursue academic careers due to institutional reputation, professional development …

Use Of Generative Ai In Academia: Collaborative Autoethnographic Perspectives From Nnes And Nes Scholars, Tianshi Hao, Ziyue Guo, Jade Winn, Paul Sparks

The Qualitative Report

The advancement of Generative AI (GenAI) has shaped the ways people learn, teach, and perform research in the field of academia. However, there is a lack of studies that explore how GenAI makes differences on both Native English Speaking (NES) and Non-Native English-Speaking (NNES) scholars' academic work and experiences. This study aims to examine the experiences and perceptions of two Asian NNES Ph.D. students and two American NES professors regarding the use of GenAI tools in their academic work, through a Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE) approach. Data were collected through individual and group reflections, analyzed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). …