Digital Commons Network^™

Change Is People: How Faculty, Staff, And Administrators Engage With And Shape A Substantive Organizational Change Process, Karen Bellnier

Open Access Dissertations

Creating substantive organizational change (SOC) in higher education can face numerous challenges including navigating complex sets of rules and relationships, negotiating potentially conflicting perspectives, and balancing the motivations and goals of peers (Engeström, 2018b; Kezar, 2018). Each SOC change agent brings a unique perspective, identity and motivation (Eteläpelto et al., 2013; Gess-Newsome et al., 2003) to their conception of and relationship to the planned change (Hay et al., 2021; Weick, 1995). This dynamic nature makes SOC difficult to conceptualize as a whole - either as a researcher or a change agent - and therefore difficult to understand how change processes …

Academic Agency Within The Curricular Reform Of Gateway Stem Courses: A Faculty Perspective, Katie Beck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The research regarding faculty agency during curricular reform is a burgeoning field within higher education as the faculty perspective within the current research concerning curriculum reform is limited. This study seeks to illuminate the faculty perspective of the curricular reform process of gateway STEM courses and how faculty experienced the reform process through a qualitative case study. The site of the case study is a public four-year institution on the eastern coast of the United States that has undergone and continues to undergo significant academic restructuring. The research utilized a structured survey and semi-structured interviews with seven total participants from …

Editor's Introduction, Emily Allen

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Editor's introduction to Honors in Practice, volume 21 (2025).

"As we head into an uncertain future, let us care for each other and remember that together we are strong."

Honoring Careers: Developing Professional Aspirations In Honors Programs, L. Benjamin Boyar

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay builds on previous arguments in honors for greater representation of preprofessional disciplines. Drawing from a focused honors accounting initiative, author explores how video interviews with alumni—created through an iterative process of outreach and collaboration—can effectively bridge intellectual inquiry and career preparation. Alumni narratives help students critically examine professional trajectories, connect current coursework with broader academic and societal contexts, and produce tangible outcomes, such as conference presentations and journal publications. By showcasing these diverse career trajectories, this approach reassures students in both preprofessional and traditional disciplines, demonstrating the relevance of their academic pursuits while ensuring honors education remains intellectually …

Launching Cures In Non-Traditional Settings: How One Honors Program Propels Primary Research For The Institution, Kathryn M. Macdonald

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay considers how course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) can drive original research. Honors students in career-oriented majors (accounting, hospitality management, health services administration, criminal justice) develop primary research studies that are proposed for institutional review and then conducted within a specific population across the university. The author describes the CURE model within an honors curriculum, observing that it actively engages students in the full research cycle from conceptualization to dissemination and fosters critical thinking, methodological rigor, and ethical awareness. The author recommends its use in either group or individual settings to honors programs seeking to position students as active …

Sharing The Stage With The Future: Humans And Robots Together At Last, Donna L. Clevinger

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay presents a co-curricular collaboration bringing ancient comedy to a modern audience. Students and faculty at a large, public R1 university combine art and engineering to create a STEAM-based approach to theatrical production. The author describes how integrating classical text, creative expression, and transformational technologies demonstrates that collaboration between disciplines can produce gains for each, fostering advancements and human understanding that would be unattainable independently. Script writing, casting, stage production, and outcomes are presented.

Assessing Teachers’ Conceptual Leadership Perceptions Of School-Site Administrators As An Approach To Improve Teacher Morale, Darlene C. Landy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to have teachers complete a self-assessment survey to assess their conceptual belief of the leadership styles of school-site administrators that are conducive to high teacher morals. The questions addressed how teacher morale affected the teachers according to the number of years they had been teaching, their college majors, their highest college degree, their gender, and their ethnicity. The teachers who participated in this study were volunteers who had to be teaching for 2 years or more.

This was a quantitative study that used the Teacher Rapport With Principal dimension of the Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire …

The Lived Experiences Of Project Rebound Students In California, Jeffrey R. Jacobs

Theses and Dissertations

As the United States attempts to address issues of prison overcrowding, recidivism, and rehabilitation, states like California have turned to higher education during and after incarceration to remedy the situation and promote successful community reentry among individuals who have served time in the nation’s prisons. People who are formerly incarcerated are often up against a myriad of obstacles once released, and programs like California State University’s Project Rebound aim to aid in this transition through a model rooted in community and campus care. Numerous bodies of research have explored the impacts of education on individuals who are actively incarcerated; however, …

Utilizing Information Technology And Hands-On Learning Practices To Improve Student Learning Outcomes In A High Failure Rate Introductory Programming Course, Todd Edward Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to introduce and examine the impact that two interventions have on a high failure rate introductory programing course: a pedagogical approach of introducing Live Coding instruction technique to the in-person lecture portion, and a technological approach of introducing remote collaboration software (VS Code Liveshare) to the online lab portion. This study used convergent parallel mixed methods approach for both data collection and analysis; utilizing four data collection methods: 1) online survey questionnaires 2) in-depth interviews 3) in class observations and 4) quantifiable data collection (ie., student demographic, IT experience, GPA data). The Live Coding …

Embracing Ai In Higher Education: Redefining Teaching And Learning In The Digital Era, Najem Tala, Leila Halawi

Publications

This research explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, focusing on its ability to address emerging challenges and revolutionize teaching practices. We critically assess the current educational landscape, evaluate AI's role as a catalyst for educational reform, and examine implementation challenges. Our analysis emphasizes the evolving impact of AI on personalized learning, student engagement, and administrative efficiency and contributes to the growing body of literature on educational technology. The discussion highlights both the opportunities and limitations of AI in education, pointing to critical areas that remain underexplored.

Values In Academe: Examining Productivity For Faculty Of Color, Emi Kamei, Young K. Kim, David Edens

Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Using a quantitative research design, this study examined two productivity-related outcomes, scholarly productivity and community-minded engagement practices, and how these vary for faculty of color in U.S. higher education institutions among different racial/ethnic subgroups. This study utilized data collected from the 2016-2017 Faculty Survey administered by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a sample of 26,410 faculty members nationwide. The findings suggest that scholarly productivity tends to increase when faculty have spent time writing research grants or have protected time available for research scholarship, and tends to decrease when higher teaching loads are …

Transforming Online Courses: Practical Strategies For Educators, Jacqueline A. Gilbert, Kelly G. Manix, Kristie A. Abston

Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

In this article, we examine strategies for enhancing student engagement in online higher education courses through targeted course restructuring. Given the increased demand for high-quality online learning, it is essential for institutions to adopt a proactive, student-focused approach to course design and delivery. The paper highlights research underscoring the critical connection between active student participation in online courses and improved academic performance. It emphasizes the fundamental need for strategic organization and consistent course design to foster engagement and optimize student learning. Our research explores the value of soliciting and implementing student feedback through multiple mechanisms, including pre-term and midterm surveys, …

2025-2026 Graduate Catalog, Morehead State University. Registrar's Office.

Morehead State Catalog Archive

2025-2026 graduate catalog for Morehead State University.

Teaching To Whom And With Whom: The Role Of Context In Developing Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy For Teaching Engineering And Coding Via Robotics, Jennifer Kidd, Kristie Gutierrez, Min Jung Lee, Danielle Rhemer, Pilar Pazos, Krishna Kaipa, Stacie Ringleb, Orlando Ayala

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Due to mandates for the inclusion of engineering and computer science standards for K-6 schools nationwide, there is a need to understand how teacher educators can help develop preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) teaching self-efficacy in these areas. To provide experience teaching and learning engineering and coding, PSTs in an instructional technology course were partnered with undergraduate engineering students in an electromechanical systems course to teach robotics lessons to fifth graders (10–11 year olds) over Zoom. A multi-case study approach explored teaching self-efficacy development for three preservice teachers during their robotics project experiences using multiple data sources, including surveys, reflections, interviews, and …

Mapping Learning In Higher Education: The Embedding Content Across Academic Programmes Toolkit, John Pierce, Mary Beades, Andrew Shields

Publications

The growing diversification of teaching roles in higher education and the siloed nature of semesterised programmes can inhibit quality teaching and learning. This paper introduces the Embedding Content Across Academic Programmes Toolkit (ECAAPT), a practical model for mapping and tracking embedded content across modules, semesters, and years within higher education programmes that can ease the administrative burden of curricular mapping and change on academics teaching in the sector. Originally developed with a focus on tracking student academic literacies, this model has also been adapted and shown value in mapping and tracking other content, such as graduate attributes, feedback, assessment strategies, …

Career Resources And Securing Quality Work: Graduate Perspectives, Denise Jackson, Claire Lambert, Matalena Tofa, Ruth Bridgstock, Ruth Sibson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Empowering graduates to secure quality post-graduation employment is a key goal for higher education institutions and their students. University support in developing career resources may aid transition to work by enhancing social support and networks, fostering a strong sense of professional self, promoting career self-management, and instilling career confidence. Yet there lacks empirical understanding of these resources and the role they play, including how they interrelate, how they vary by personal characteristics, and how they are developed. This study examines how graduates fare in the labour market, characterises their career resources, and explores the relationship between career resources and graduate-level …

A Deep Dive Into Taught Postgraduates’ Participation In Work-Integrated Learning, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study draws on national data to explore postgraduate participation in different types of work-integrated learning (WIL) in Australia. Despite considerable interest in WIL engagement in higher education, research is primarily focused on undergraduates with relatively little known about participation in postgraduate cohorts and how this varies across disciplines. Consequently, this study analyses how 119,000 graduates of Australian postgraduate coursework degrees engaged in work-based WIL (e.g., internships/placements); non-workplace WIL (e.g., projects/consultancies) and global WIL experiences between 2020 and 2023. In addition to breakdowns by discipline and international/domestic student status, the study examines relationships between WIL engagement and personal, study and …

Work-Integrated Learning As A Landscape Of Practice, Denise Jackson, Karsten E. Zegwaard, David Drewery

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article proposes that work-integrated learning (WIL) is a Landscape of Practice (LoP) within the wider higher education ecosystem. It applies concepts from the LoP literature to present a new perspective on WIL programs and ecosystems. It further emphasizes that students are central within the WIL LoP, developing knowledge as they traverse individual communities including industry partners, professional accrediting bodies, careers services, academics, curriculum, and support staff connected to WIL. Additionally, the article highlights the role of higher education institutions in addressing tensions of difference between communities comprising the WIL LoP. The article contributes to the literature on WIL and …

Transdisciplinary Work-Integrated Learning’S Contribution To Societal Transition: A Scoping Review, Denise Jackson, Claire Lambert, Sonja Coetzee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This scoping review explores the perceived value of transdisciplinary work-integrated learning (TWIL) for contributing to social change and the enablers of impactful TWIL offerings. TWIL is a pedagogy-based approach which connects students from diverse disciplines with external partners to engage in authentic, work-focused activities as a formal component of academic study. This review focuses on TWIL where students collaboratively explore and problem-solve on known local community and wider societal issues, such as climate, health, food, and water, to foster transformative practice. Thematic analysis of 31 academic sources highlighted the recognised worth of TWIL for fostering student skills for transformation, developing …

An Analysis Of Doctor Of Philosophy Time-To-Degree Predictors, Christian A. Decle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Doctoral-granting institutions invest time and resources to support the success of their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students. Despite these efforts, doctoral attrition rates remain high. One measure used to understand doctoral attrition and completion rates is time-to-degree (TTD). In 2020, the median TTD from the start of graduate school increased to 7.5 years (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics [NCSES], 2020b), highlighting the need for continued analysis of factors affecting TTD. This study used data from the 2021 Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED; NCSES, 2021a) to provide a more recent analysis of the relationship between TTD and both student …

Effects Of Active Learning In An Undergraduate Physiology Class Using Hands-On And Simulation Labs, Ainsley C. Frayer

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Increasing student engagement has shown positive effects on students and can be achieved by incorporating active learning strategies in the lab. Currently, the undergraduate human physiology lab at Missouri State University utilizes simulations to practice physiological concepts. The proposed project aims to evaluate if incorporating hands-on labs would improve student learning and/or their engagement. The hypothesis is engagement will be increased in hands-on labs, but grades will not differ significantly, based on previous literature. Three simulations were replaced with hands-on lab software to evaluate engagement and learning. Student engagement was assessed using a voluntary, anonymous survey. Exam average scores were …

Factors Associated With Healthcare Students’ Cognitive Levels Measured By The Classroom Test Of Scientific Reasoning., Alberto J. De Armendi, Amir L. Butt, Kathryn M.L Konrad, Mohanad Shukry, Edmund A. Marek Ii

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

Introduction: Healthcare student acceptance into graduate and professional school is based on Grade Point Average (GPA), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, interviews, and letters of recommendation, but not on cognition levels. However, educators need to understand students’ cognitive levels to facilitate constructivist learning theory and inquiry-based learning. The aim of this study is to understand the influence of cognition in healthcare students through the administration of the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR).

Methods: Medical and baccalaureate nursing students were enrolled to answer demographic questions and complete the CTSR. The CTSR rubric score were used to define four operational cognitive …

Volume 11, Issue 3, Critical Currents And Pedagogical Shifts In Popular Culture And Pedagogy, Journal Dialogue

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Volume 11, Issue 3 of Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy: On Confronting Identity and Global Challenges through Popular Culture and Pedagogy.

Escaping The Pedagogical Cabin In The Woods, Tony Kemerly, Davis Ritenour

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

The American educational system, because of its seemingly innocuous yet ubiquitous nature, has become, to borrow a term from Roland Barthes, naturalized. By being naturalized, it has become a system that has somehow slipped beneath the radar of the American populace and operates on an autopilot of sorts that allows it to employ practices that don’t necessarily have the best interests of its constituents at heart. Murray Rothbard (1979) argued that compulsory schooling is not guided by altruism, but rather a desire to coerce the population into a mold that is desired by those possessing power in society. This need …

Building Transferable Skills In An Interdisciplinary Science And Science Fiction Capstone Course, John D. Carrell, Robert G. Weiner, Alexandria Prather

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

College graduates are entering an ever-competitive workforce. Interdisciplinary course experiences are critical for developing analytical abilities and learning and these courses can provide valuable skills that will aid students beyond the classroom. These transferable skills include communication, teamwork, analytical and critical thinking, and creativity. To provide a unique learning experience and, through it, the development of transferable skills, the Honors College at Texas Tech University created an upper-level Capstone course titled “Superheroes, Super Villains, AI, Time Travel, and Film in Science and Popular Culture.” The class is an interdisciplinary look at science and science fiction taught by an engineering faculty …

The Anxious Generation, How The Great Rewiring Of Childhood Is Causing Epidemic Of Mental Illness, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.

Commencement [Program], December 21, 2024, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. This commencement program is not an official graduate list.

Contents:

Board of Regents --- 2
Institutional Leadership --- 2
Ceremony Symbols & Traditions --- 3
Academic Honorary Organizations --- 4
University Ambassador Organizations --- 5
University Honors Program --- 6
Graduation with Honors --- 6
Legacy Graduates --- 6
Military Science --- 7
Merchant Scholarship --- 7
Outstanding Student Leader --- 7
Commencement Student Speakers --- 7 …

Graduate Student Journal Article Writing Group: Creating Community Around Publishing, Gabrielle Brehne, Catherine Baird, Alicia Remolde

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

At Montclair State University, the online and outreach librarian and the assistant director of the Center for Writing Excellence paired up to create a supplemental program to support graduate students seeking to publish journal articles. A graduate assistant joined the team and created content based on Wendy Laura Belcher’s book Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks. We will discuss how we collaborated to establish this writing group and what we learned from the experience. A journal article writing group is a great addition to any graduate program, and we hope our story will inspire others.

Navigating Cultures, Engaging In The Process: International Graduate Students' Leadership Process, Laura Vaughn

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Disciplinary Variation In Curriculum Internationalization: Findings From A Global Pilot Study, Pouneh Eftekhari

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.