Digital Commons Network^™

Learning To Adapt: Online Social Science Instruction In Higher Education, Patrick Steven Smith

Dissertations and Theses

Online learning is a rapidly growing phenomenon in post-secondary education. Institutions of higher learning have embraced online learning for its perceived merits, but without the consideration of how instructors deal with this different learning medium. Little is known of the extent to which different disciplines are suited to the online medium; this is pertinent to disciplines that rely on spontaneous in-person discussion. Furthermore, as colleges continue to invest heavily in online learning, instructors who only possess face-to-face teaching experience may begin teaching online. This poses a pedagogical challenge for instructors who are unfamiliar with the medium. This qualitative, in-depth interview …

Designing Innovative Alternatives To Traditional High Schools: What Leaders Need To Know, Chester Roy Edwards

Dissertations and Theses

The need for new and innovative alternatives to traditional high schools has never been greater. Never designed to graduate all students on time, traditional high schools and their high dropout rates have remained unchanged for the last 30 years. Improving secondary schooling for all young people is a worthwhile social and educational objective. Many school leaders want to create alternative high schools but may lack the knowledge of what to do, nor may they have a comprehensive design process to follow.

The research question explored in this dissertation is: What do leaders in education need to know to design innovative …

Work Design Characteristics As Moderators Of The Relationship Between Proactive Personality And Engagement, Damon Thomas Drown

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines which and how trait relevant work design characteristics moderate the relationship between proactive personality and engagement. Proactive personality is defined as an individual's tendency to intentionally and directly affect change in their environment (Bateman & Crant, 1993; Crant, 2000). Previous research has been primarily focused on the positive aspects of proactive personality; to fill this gap, I used trait activation theory (Tett & Burnett, 2003) to identify which work characteristics will activate proactive personality to affect engagement and developed specific hypotheses about which work characteristics will attenuate the proactive personality engagement relationship. In the study I identified …

The Impact Of Social Capital On Innovation Intermediaries, Songphon Munkongsujarit

Dissertations and Theses

In today's open business environments, innovation happens in globally dispersed organizations that exchange technological knowledge across increasingly permeable boundaries. Innovation intermediaries play an important role in these technology transfer processes. They operate as middle-men between solution seekers (companies seeking technological knowledge for solving their problems) and problem solvers (experts with specialized knowledge and solutions) and thus help to connect suppliers and customers of technological knowledge. Currently, clients that select an intermediary organization and managers of intermediary organizations that assign agents to a project have very little guidance as to what type of an intermediary they should select to guarantee that …

Oit Online Web Presence, Ali Alsahaf, Ryan Menze, Farzad Moshfegh, Jerrod Thomas

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) at Portland State University (PSU) migrated its website to a centrally provided Drupal content management system in the summer of 2012, leaving out a significant amount of content from the previous website in exchange for a quick implementation timeline based on an executive order to unify departmental branding across the division of Finance and Administration. This initial migration focused on public facing information and excluded large swaths of support articles that were broadly used by faculty, staff, students, and technology professionals. In early 2013, a new project was launched to reevaluate the design decisions …

Ethics-In-Action: An Application Of Structuration Theory In Professional Service Firms, Jesse F. Dillard, Kristi Jane Yuthas

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

A theoretical base for studying ethics in action is developed. In previous work, we propose a responsibility ethic, normative stakeholder theory, and discourse ethics as components of ethical decision making within organizational contexts. Here, we argue that structuration theory provides theoretical depth and conceptual integration to the ideas presented in our earlier work. The previous work is briefly discussed and structuration theory is reviewed. Ethically informed action is formulated within the context of structuration theory as a consideration and instantiation of structural features. Ethical action is predicated on the agent’s accountability within the context of an ongoing community. Accountability requires …

A New Approach To Explain Policy Reforms In Vietnam During Ðổi Mới By Developing And Validating A Major Policy Change Model For Vietnam, Huan Van Dang

Dissertations and Theses

The Renovation Program - Ðổi Mới in Vietnam since 1986 have posed a puzzling policy question: why have some policy areas experienced radical changes while others have experienced only limited and incremental changes? This policy puzzle provided the focus for this dissertation in which a model of major policy change was developed to provide a new way of explaining the policy reforms in Vietnam over the past two decades. The model was developed based on three bodies of literature: (1) the most well-developed theories and models of policy change process created in the U.S and their application to the non-U.S …

The Organizational Context Of Research-Minded Practitioners: Challenges And Opportunities, Bowen Mcbeath, Michael J. Austin

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

If some practitioners are more research minded than others, then promising approaches for bridging the research to practice gap may be developed by describing research-minded practitioners and examining how to locate and support them. This article follows this basic logic in providing an overview of organizational development and practitioner support models for increasing knowledge use in human service organizations. The article begins with a conceptual profile of research-minded practi- tioners—individuals with an affinity for empirical inquiry, critical thinking, and reflection allied with a commitment to data- driven organizational improvement—and the organizational settings needed to host research-minded practice. This is followed …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet February 2013, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The February 2013 Monthly packet includes the February agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held January 2013

Public Perceptions Regarding The Police Bureau And Crime In Portland, Oregon, Brian Renauer, Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, Kris R. Henning, Greg Stewart

Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute Research Briefs

On September 12, 2012 the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint in the Federal District Court for Oregon asserting that the City of Portland has engaged in a pattern and practice of unnecessary or excessive force against persons experiencing a mental health crisis. This survey is the result of a settlement agreement between Portland’s City Council and the DOJ which specified the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) develop a means of assessing public perceptions.

This report examines public perceptions of PPB across four content areas that are highlighted in the DOJ settlement agreement. Data for the report were …

Building And Sustaining A Culture Of Assessment: Best Practices For Change Leadership, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea of using Kotter's eight-step model for change leadership to create a culture of assessment that is embedded in the organizational culture of an academic library. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that examines the potential application of a business change model to an academic library change context. Each step of Kotter's model is described within the context of building a culture of assessment, supported by examples and suggestions from the literature of libraries, higher education, organizational behavior and change leadership. Findings – While building a culture of …

Library Faculty And Instructional Assessment: Creating A Culture Of Assessment Through The High Performance Programming Model Of Organizational Transformation, Meredith G. Farkas, Lisa J. Hinchliffe

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In an environment in which libraries increasingly need to demonstrate their value to faculty and administrators, providing evidence of the library’s contribution to student learning through its instruction program is critical. However, building a culture of assessment can be a challenge, even if librarians recognize its importance. In order to lead change, coordinators of library instruction at institutions where librarians are also tenure-track faculty must build trust and collaboration, lead through influence, and garner support from administration for assessment initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to explore what it takes to build a culture of assessment in academic libraries …

Functional Analysis And Operations Review Of The Oregon Department Of Education, Masami Nishishiba, Shannon Grzybowski, Andrew Dzeguze

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

In November 2012, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement with Portland State University’s (PSU) Center for Public Service (CPS). This agreement outlines the scope of work for CPS to perform a Functional Analysis and Operations Review of ODE. The Scope of Work includes:

1. Conduct interviews with key ODE personnel, Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) legal advisors, Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) staff, and education community key stakeholders. Interviews will be used to determine the extent to which existing ODE personnel have the understanding and tools needed to effectively perform their jobs consistent with …

Designing Work, Family & Health Organizational Change Initiatives, Ellen Ernst Kossek, Leslie B. Hammer, Erin L. Kelly, Phyllis Moen

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we describe the development of the most comprehensive work-family organizational change initiative to date in the United States. Our goal is to share an in-depth case study with examples and critical lessons that emerged. We draw on our years of experience working with major employers from two industries representative of today’s workforce (health care and IT professionals). Employers and applied researchers can draw on this study and lessons to create, customize, and deliver evidence-based interventions to improve work, family and health.

Accountability Vs. Improvement: Seeking Balance In The Value Of Academic Libraries Initiative, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on a program by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) which focused on finding ways for libraries to show value and create a research agenda on the subject of value. The initiative produced "The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report" focused on demonstrating correlations between library collections, instructions and student success. It notes the importance of libraries showing value to those who determine funding levels.

The Paradox Of “Acting Globally While Thinking Locally”: Discordance In Climate Change Adaption Policy, Daniel A. Mazmanian, John L. Jurewitz, Hal T. Nelson

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

The paradox motivating this article is why California has acted globally by enacting a comprehensive mitigation policy to reduce the emissions of Greenhouse gases, a true public good since the benefits will be shared across the planet, but has not mustered the will to act locally through the adoption of an equally comprehensive adaptation policy for the state to protect its own public and private assets and interests. We attempt to explain the paradox by identifying what it is that differentiates climate change adaptation from mitigation, both substantively and politically. The paradox notwithstanding, we identify several imaginable adaptation policies and …

Clackamas County 2011-2012 Diversity Assessment (Phase I), Masami Nishishiba, Amanda Shannahan, Bonnie Crawford, Chad Stover, Wongkang Lee

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Clackamas County conducted its first diversity assessment in 2001. Since then, the County has taken significant steps to promote diversity within the organization, including the creation of a Diversity and Inclusion Manager position. This 2011-2012 assessment is the first phase of the County’s attempt to evaluate its current diversity climate and the effectiveness of its diversity efforts.

Results in this report are based on data collected from February to April 2012. In July 2012, after the data collection of this phase I assessment process, the Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution titled ”Valuing Diversity in Clackamas County.” …

Engineering Integration: Building A Quick And Effective Faculty Seminar, Kate Peterson, Jon Jeffryes

Communications in Information Literacy

In the spring of 2010, the Science & Engineering Library of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities partnered with the Information Literacy Librarian and offered a faculty seminar to the College of Science and Engineering. The seminar's goals included 1.) refreshing and expanding faculty's knowledge of information and 21st century literacies and 2.) creating a community of faculty committed to developing student skills in finding, evaluating and synthesizing information in their academic coursework and into their professional careers. Overall, the seminar increased faculty understanding of services and expertise of the libraries, and 21st century literacies. It also developed and strengthened ties …

Technology Roadmap For Tesla Motors Sedan Ev, Abrahim Abdulsater, Aparna Balasubramanian, Bing Wang, Farshad Madani, Mohammad Mansour, Rajasree Talla

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

In order for the United States, as well as other nations, to decrease their dependency and reliance on imported fossil fuel, to control and reduce the largest source of their carbon emission, and to secure their national transportation system, a faster transition from the Internal Combustion Engine to the Electric Vehicle has to be promoted. The public and private sectors will have to work hand in hand to ensure reaching such a national goal.

This paper lays out a technology roadmap for a private company ‘Tesla Motors’, proposing a balanced mixed basket of Technology Push and market Pull strategy in …

Managing Knowledge-Based Projects, Farshad Madani

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

In knowledge-based projects, many risks can be resulted due to lack of knowledge applied in the project. To avoid these risks, project based companies need to implement a convenient mechanism to develop knowledge management strategies. In this article, this mechanism is addressed as a KM strategic planning model, which is inherently a process model. This model helps to build a bridge between PMBOK processes and knowledge management strategy development. The foundation of this bridge is made on two pillars. First, the spiral of knowledge introduced by Nonaka [1] and, second, PMBOK processes. To develop the KM strategic planning model, the …

Implementer Perspectives: The Implementation Of A School-Based Mentoring Program, Amanda Angela Fixsen

Dissertations and Theses

This research describes organizational level implementation strategies utilized in piloting enhancements to the school-based mentoring program from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Semi-structured interviews (n=15) with lead agency implementers along with conference call meeting notes were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings yield a description of the challenges to implementation and strategies to overcome these challenges, formal implementation strategies engaged in, and the extent to which these align with an implementation framework put forth by Klein, Conn, and Sorra (2001) with supplement from Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, and Wallace (2005). Findings from this study indicate that financial resources, management …

Revisiting Teacher Leadership: Perceptions Of Teachers And Principals, Suzanne Harrison, Ginny Birky

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover perceptions of teachers and principals regarding teacher leadership. The researchers investigated how selected Oregon teachers and administrators defined teacher leadership, as well as how they perceived roles, characteristics, and qualities of teacher leaders. Four themes emerged from the results: collaboration, interpersonal relationships, managing the work, and teaching and learning. Results showed that teacher leaders often acted in a collaborative environment and expected colleagues and administrators to be collaborative. Developing and maintaining positive relational skills were of importance, particularly related to caring and serving, as well as the dispositions of honesty, empathy, …

Sustainable Operations At Portland State University: Relevant Organizational Issues And A Path Forward, Molly Mae Bressers

Dissertations and Theses

Large organizations such as Portland State University (PSU) play an important role in the environmental impact and sustainability of a city, EcoDistrict and region. Through their resource use and operations, such organizations can assist in mitigating environmental damage, as well as educate their members and community. PSU does not currently have any formal policies that support sustainable operations, and there is room to improve the sustainability of campus operations. Feedback from PSU employees was solicited through two surveys, and these data were qualitatively analyzed to identify salient organizational issues that may serve to inhibit implementation of sustainable operations at PSU. …

A Strategic Model For Ingo Accountability Systems, Sarah Elizabeth Wardwell

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis reconstructs the concept of International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) accountability to beneficiaries through the development of a strategic model for INGO accountability to beneficiaries. It works through the history and arguments surrounding the rise of the debate around whether INGOs should be held accountable to their beneficiary populations. Unique definitions are developed for the terms and concepts related to this topic and a framework for understanding the strategic model for INGO accountability to beneficiaries is outlined: Accountable to whom? Accountable for what? Accountable how? A practical example of an internal assessment for measuring an INGO's accountability to beneficiaries is …

Application Of Reference Models In Technology Management, Farshad Madani

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Reference models, sometimes called with other different words, prepare a general model from a specific view of the related environment. Reference models are considered as a basic foundation to create: 1) a common language among specialists 2) a reference for the entities such as processes 3) relationships among entities 4) tools and decision making procedures for the real world.

In this report, it's tried the definitions of reference model in the selected papers have been reviewed. It's noticeable that in many papers the term of framework is used instead of reference model. Also, applications of reference models are reviewed and …

The Effects Of Scenario Planning On Participant Perceptions Of Learning Organization Characteristics, Melissa Haeffner, Deanna Leone, Laura Coons, Thomas Chermack

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Scenario planning is often used by organizations to think about future uncertainties. However, what it does in terms of changing perceptions is diffi cult to assess and quantify. To address this need, this article builds on previous studies documenting the effectiveness of scenario planning. Specifi cally, this article contributes to the data on perceptions of learning organization characteristics. This study compiles quantitative data gathered from 133 individuals working in 10 United States companies who participated in scenario planning. The Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) instrument was used in a pre- and post-test research design and differences were analyzed …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet November 2011, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The November 2011 Monthly packet includes the November agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held October 2012

Heard On The Net: Fear And Self-Loathing In Libraryland, Jill Emery

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This column explores the argument that the future of librarianship is in peril, and hope is futile and librarians are not doing enough to maintain our professional relevance in the 21st century.

Police Community Partnerships: A Review Of The Literature, Portland State University. Criminology And Criminal Justice Senior Capstone

Criminology and Criminal Justice Senior Capstone Project

To better understand community/police collaborations, this study researched several different types of successful partnerships. Our objective was to learn why the partnerships were formed and who was involved. Our research also sought to determine the goals of the partnerships, and the methods used to achieve those goals. The study also highlights several practices used by police agencies successfully to solve community problems.

Assessment For Improvement In Higher Education: Faculty Perception Of And Participation In Program Assessment, Serap Emil

Dissertations and Theses

Driven by issues of accountability, the assessment movement in higher education has gained significant momentum in recent years. However, successful implementation of assessment processes varies radically across institutions and organizational units. A key issue is faculty engagement. This qualitative case study explored factors that impact faculty participation in a professional school assessment initiative. Findings indicate that factors related to individual faculty characteristics (e.g., career preparation, knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes) and institutional characteristics (e.g., leadership, resources, reward structures, work environment, and technology) influence faculty members engagement in assessment activities. To support faculty adoption of and participation in assessment efforts, leaders need …