Digital Commons Network^™

Poetry’S Role In Shaping Critical Thinking In Indonesian Learners Of English As A Foreign Language, Hamzah Puadi Ilyas, Nani Solihati, Istaryatiningtias Istaryatiningtias

The Qualitative Report

This research investigated the role of poetry interpretation activities in fostering the development of critical thinking abilities among Indonesian English as a foreign language (EFL) students in a higher education setting. Given the scarcity of research in this area, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the subject. To this end, the research posed three research questions: (1) How does poetry influence the development of critical thinking abilities in EFL learners? (2) What types of critical thinking activities are facilitated by poetry? (3) How do students perceive the benefits of using poetry for critical thinking? A total …

Bridging Cultures Through Cross-Border Collaboration: A Pathway To Cultural Sustainability Between The Uae And Italy, Mai Zaki, Bruno Grazioli

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

International education is of critical importance in the creation and distribution of the knowledge required to address the complex global challenges faced by society today. Seen through the lens of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), internationalisation of higher education can bring new perspectives through collaborative projects. This paper reports on a year-long virtual collaboration between the American University of Sharjah (AUS) in the UAE and the Italy-based program of Dickinson College (USA) as part of the Transformative Sustainability Project. This collaboration involved two courses, on digital and environmental humanities, as students learned about the SDGs, analysed problems, discussed …

Ending Gender-Based Sexual Violence On Canadian Campuses: Peer Educator Perspectives, Jason A. Laker

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Gender-based and sexual violence (GBSV) remains a pervasive problem in higher education, disproportionately affecting marginalized students and undermining their safety, well-being, and academic success. Post-secondary institutions (PSIs) increasingly rely on peer educators (PeerEds) to deliver prevention and response programs, leveraging their shared student experience to foster trust and engagement. This study explores the motivations and experiences of GBSV PeerEds in Canada and the United States, revealing how personal trauma, institutional critique, and allyship drive their involvement. Findings highlight the emotional labour, secondary trauma, and systemic constraints PeerEds face, alongside their contributions to campus culture and advocacy. The study critiques institutional …

Factors Influencing The Success Of Student Veterans In Higher Education

Faculty Publications and Presentations

A case study was conducted at a private institution of higher education to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that support student veterans, a nontraditional student demographic in a private institution of higher education. The article explains the interplay and relationship between what nontraditional students bring to the academic experience, the role of educators, and factors contributing to or detracting from their success in higher education. Analysis of key issues related to combat student veterans in higher education revealed common themes and contextual information from which the lessons learned were developed. The results of the study indicate that the …

Exploring The Experiences Of Higher Education Students With Invisible Disabilities, Haley Malinverno

Culture, Society, and Praxis

This research analyzes textual data derived from Reddit communities to examine the lived experiences of higher education students and alumni with invisible disabilities (swID). The application of concepts and models of critical disability theory (CDT) are adopted to contextualize student experiences. This study answers two research questions, the first being: R1 - How do reported barriers impact swID in higher education? I find that barriers faced by swID relate to inequities of systemic ableism, with difficulties being a direct side-effect of the inflexible nature of academia. These barriers impact swID in the following ways: The demands of higher education causes …

We Built This: Redesigning Higher Education From The Ground Up While They Try To Burn It Down, Shawntay King, Juanita E. Marquez, Keisha Rembert, Jolene Taylor, Thera Tilmon

SPACE: Student Perspectives About Civic Engagement

Our text, We Built This: Redesigning Higher Education from the Ground Up While They Try to Burn It Down, examines how recent federal policy shifts, particularly the 2025 Dear Colleague letter and the Project 2025 educational platform, function as deliberate acts of deconstruction. These measures threaten to dismantle equity infrastructures in higher education while intensifying the erasure of Black women’s labor, leadership and legacy in the academy. Through Critical Policy Analysis and Black feminist thought, we argue that these policies operate simultaneously as blueprint and wrecking ball, systematically unraveling decades of progress and constraining the very communities that have sustained …

Navigating The Digital Divide: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Digital Literacy Skills Of College Students Through The Lens Of Technological Self-Efficacy, Robert M. Spisak Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative dissertation addresses the digital literacy skills gap among college students and their ability to effectively use digital technologies in higher education. While many students arrive with technical skills, gaps exist in their ability to critically assess information, ethically engage with digital content, and apply these competencies across academic and professional contexts. Grounded in the framework of technological self-efficacy, which emphasizes the belief in one’s ability to perform digital tasks, this study examines both the digital literacy skills student bring from high school and their self-perceptions of those skills during college. This study was guided by the following research …

Child Care For Student Parents: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Policy And Politics In Nys, Elizabeth M. Starks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This policy analysis dissertation explores the complex and multifaceted challenges that exist within New York State’s early childhood care and education (ECCE) system by critically examining the amendment of one NYS social services law. Guided by Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis, this study examines two research questions (under one overarching question):

1. What language and arguments are effective in making change in Early Childhood policy in NYS?
   1. What is the policy discourse surrounding the amendment of subdivision 1 of section 410-w social services law in NYS?
   2. What is the political discourse surrounding the amendment of subdivision 1 of section 410-w social services …

The Campus Evp: A Multi-Case Content Analysis Of Employer Branding Communication In U.S. Higher Education, Latoya A. Clarke

Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how universities across the major geographical regions in the United States communicate their employer brand through the Careers section on their websites and digital recruitment materials. Using a multiple-case qualitative content analysis, the study applies the four-dimensional brand SMRT storytelling framework of story, meaning, ritual, and transmedia to evaluate how institutions signal aspects of their employer value proposition across various content formats. Findings show that meaning and ritual were consistently applied through content formats via mission statements, departmental narratives, and employee photography. However, story and transmedia appeared inconsistently, as fewer content formats featured long-form …

Appreciative Inquiry For Community Engaged Learning: Enhancing Community Partner Relationships, Tiffany Mohr

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Custom Gpt Bots To Enhance Learning In Economics, Larisa Ray

Teaching Repository of AI-Infused Learning

Students engage with instructor-designed GPT-powered bots (e.g., ECONOHelper, Owlnomics, Alpha (student bot)) to practice applying economic theories and solving structured case studies. Bots are programmed to withhold direct answers initially, prompting students with guiding questions to stimulate analysis before offering feedback or clarification.

For example:

• In Microeconomics, ECONOHelper helps students interpret supply and demand graphs, calculate elasticity, and analyze pricing strategies for products such as Tesla’s Cybertruck or staple foods.
• In Macroeconomics, Owlnomics guides students through models such as Aggregate Expenditures (AE) and AD-AS, asking them to predict outcomes of fiscal and monetary policies in real-world-inspired scenarios like “Larissaland” or …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Research Study Of Empathy In Education And Its Defining Influences, Patricia Cuffe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of showing empathy to students for college professors at a private evangelical Christian university in the southeastern region of the United States. The theory guiding this study was Hoffman’s empathy theory, which describes the concepts and ideologies of empathy and explains the factors influencing professors' empathy towards their students. The Central Research Question was: What are the lived experiences of college professors showing empathy to their students? The study employed a transcendental-phenomenological research approach to describe participants' lived experiences. The participants in the study were ten professors …

The Relative And Absolute Social Capital Of Jesuit Universities: Are There Differences?, Mark S. Rzepczynski, John Kalil

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

We test whether Jesuit universities, a specific college subset, are unique from public, private, and other religiously affiliated institutions of higher learning using social capital data for network cohesiveness, economic connectedness, and civic engagement from the Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas. Social capital dispersion is also measured across the set of AJCU Jesuit universities. Jesuit colleges show greater and more distinct social capital across selected college classifications and characteristics; however, there is limited social capital uniformity across the set of 27 U.S. Jesuit universities.

Centering “Ubuntu” To Build Research Confidence And Joyful Collaboration, Suyent Rodriguez Candeaux, Brandi Wells-Stone

Feminist Pedagogy

As feminist scholar-practitioners who are committed to an abolitionist teaching praxis, we are embracing the concept of Ubuntu, “I am because you are,” to build Black students’ research confidence through joyful collaboration. This critical commentary draws on our autoethnographic accounts to discuss how centering decolonial, critical, and Black feminist frameworks shifted how we support students in co-constructing knowledge through a cohort based undergraduate research program. Our collaborative approach to pedagogy has built students’ research confidence through culturally centered practices that value diverse ways of knowing and student contribution. Love (2019) argues, “abolitionist teaching is not sustainable without joy” (p. 120). …

Deaf College Students’ Lived Experiences In Pk-16 Education: A Deaf Crit-Informed Qualitative Study, Bridget Catherine Taylor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative study focused on Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and orally Deaf college students, examining Deaf education from the perspective of linguistic and cultural minority students. The study offers theoretical perspectives for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers by examining the lived experiences of students who took part in Deaf education in the United States from PK–16. Deaf Critical Theory (DeafCrit) was the theoretical framework used to analyze the qualitative data.

Studying Causal Inferences For Student Success In Higher Education, Prabesh Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions strive to support students in achieving their academic goals through targeted interventions and data-driven strategies. This study analyzed 19 variables, spanning student demographics, enrollment patterns, and institutional interventions, to identify predictors of students completing all enrolled courses in a semester. Using random forest, logistic regression, and bootstrap forest models, we assessed variable importance and derived causal estimates to determine their impact. Results from causal analysis indicate positive effects from session type, term load, referrals, kudos, flags, and scholarships, while negative impacts were associated with location, course delivery method, enrollment status, advisor contact, and registration interval. These findings …

When Prayers Aren’T Enough: The Need For Mission Formation And Professional Development For Lay Faculty At Catholic Colleges And Universities, Lucy A. Pesce

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Current literature suggests that administration and faculty must make a more intentional effort within Catholic higher education to articulate the mission of these religiously-affiliated institutions in response to two current issues: dwindling numbers of clergy and vowed religious faculty and administrators, and fewer students nationwide who self-identify with any form of organized religion. However, few studies have examined the experience of lay faculty at Catholic institutions who are entrusted with advancing the mission, regardless of their religious affiliation, and their professional development needs.

Using the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ Catholic Identity and Mission Assessment (CIMA) as a framework …

Mental Health Literacy In Biology Graduate Teaching Assistants: Perception, Knowledge, And Training Needs In College Stem Education, Kanza Arshad, Ricardo Montoya, Nicole Scheuermann, Heather E. Bergan-Roller

Honors Capstones

College students experience a high prevalence of mental health challenges, and STEM students exhibit lower mental health literacy than students in other disciplines. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) play a crucial role in supporting undergraduate students, yet little is known about their mental health literacy (MHL) or how they navigate student disclosures in instructional settings. This preliminary study examines MHL among GTAs in biology, as well as their knowledge, perceptions, and training needs regarding MHL. We used semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to examine how biology GTAs understand mental health, their responsibility related to student well-being, and what supports they identify …

Helping Students Build Artificial Intelligence Literacy Skills By Applying Leadership Theories To Their Career Development, Anthony Edwards

Teaching Repository of AI-Infused Learning

In this article, the author describes an assignment where master’s level higher education leadership students use AI to determine how leadership theories and concepts can help them in their careers and evaluate the response.

First Scholars: Enhanced Institutional Support For First Generation College Students, Genevieve Reside

Masters Projects

First-generation college students (FGCS) represent a large proportion of incoming freshmen at higher education institutions. Despite the having a high amount of FGCS, institution supports do not meet the high level of need presented by this student population. Lacking cultural capital that would otherwise be passed along by college-graduated parents, FGCS must navigate unfamiliar college territory on their own, requiring a high volume of support. This project explores the importance of institutional support on education outcomes for FGCS, proposing a comprehensive social and financial support program. The scholarship program, First Scholars, awards increasing scholarship amounts for subsequent years that students …

Preparing Educational Leaders: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Alexander William Barber Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the business training conducted in succession planning for executive leaders at community colleges. The central research question for this study is: What are the experiences of executive leaders at community colleges in business training conducted in succession planning? I conducted a hermeneutic phenomenological study at a nationally recognized community college that is implementing new higher education programs. The theoretical framework guiding this study was Smith’s institutional theory. Purposeful sampling was used to interview personnel working at the executive level in positions of vice presidents and presidents on-site. Individual interviews and …

A Predictive Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Faculty Leadership Styles And Teacher Communication Orientation In Jamaica’S Higher Education System, Zandy Uriel Elliott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined the extent to which faculty leadership styles, gender, and years of experience predict teacher communication orientation, specifically assertiveness (TCO-A) and responsiveness (TCO-R), among higher educational institutions in Jamaica. Grounded in communication theory and leadership frameworks, the study explored how faculty leadership express themselves and respond to others. Data were collected from 216 faculty members using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Sociocommunicative Orientation Scale (SCO). Descriptive analyses indicated that participants’ mean responsiveness scores were slightly higher than assertiveness scores across all years-of-experience categories, with many displaying traits consistent with an “Amiable” to “Expressive” communication profile …

Leadership With Kindness: A Human-First Approach To Belonging, Denise Mcdowell Dr.

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Abstract

Leadership with Kindness: A Human-First Approach to Belonging explores the significance of belonging and mattering as essential elements of effective leadership. This reflection paper presents a human-first framework grounded in five interconnected pillars: clarity through compassion, courage in care, connections over control, consistency with integrity, and accountability through kindness. Together, these pillars form a foundation for cultivating belonging and purpose in organizational and educational settings. Drawing from leadership experience, psychological safety, student development theory, and neuroscience, this manuscript suggests that environments built on kindness benefit both individuals and organizations by cultivating trust, inspiring innovation, and sustaining resilience.

Key Words …

Artificial Intelligence In Higher Education: Opportunities And Challenges, Maytha Al-Ali, Adam Marks, Jasur Umirzokov, Noura Metawa

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

While AI is often presented as a panacea for the challenges facing higher education, there is limited empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness in improving student learning and institutional performance. This gap between expectation and reality emphasizes the need for rigorous research, realistic goal-setting, and careful planning to ensure that AI technologies deliver on their promises in higher education. This study contrasts the potential utilization of AI technologies in Higher Education from the literature, against actual utilization in universities. The study also investigates the key barriers of AI implementation in higher education. This study uses a mixed-research methods approach, including case …

Teaching Leadership In The Context Of Crisis: Connecting Organizational Leadership And Crisis Competencies In A Faculty Leadership Education Program, Caitlin Lunzmann, Nicole Lamee Perez Stedman, Matthew Sowcik

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This research focused on enhancing leadership instruction in colleges of agriculture. A multi-institutional research team initiated a program to teach agricultural and natural resource faculty how to create leadership-oriented case studies for undergraduates. Forty faculty members participated in an online training academy centered on Bolman and Deal’s Organizational Frames and case study writing. Following the academy, these faculty members participated in field experiences in the southeastern U.S. to gather data on natural disasters, which they used to write case studies about leadership in agriculture. Though the program focused on organizational leadership, it also discussed leadership in the context of natural …

Bridging The Gap: Enhancing Institutional Support For Adjunct Faculty In Rural Community Colleges, Emily Joleen Mason

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adjunct faculty constitute approximately 70% of the academic workforce in U.S. higher education, yet they often face challenges related to professional isolation, limited institutional support, and insufficient onboarding. This qualitative study explores how institutional connectedness influences adjunct faculty retention at a rural community college in the Midwest. Using a phenomenological approach, the research investigates the lived experiences of adjunct faculty, focusing on onboarding processes, professional development opportunities, and institutional culture. Findings highlight the critical role of structured onboarding, mentorship, and continuous professional development in fostering engagement and retention among adjunct faculty. The study underscores the importance of inclusive institutional practices …

Beyond The Classroom: The Role Of Cultural Capital In College-To-Career Transitions, Keynijah Sullivan

Honors Theses

For many college students, the transition into the workforce is shaped not only by academic knowledge, but also by access to less visible resources, often referred to as cultural capital. Research has been done in the past that discusses how cultural capital is transferred through families, its role in academic settings, and its impact on employability. However, there is a gap in research focusing on the role of cultural capital in college-to-career transitions. This study uses qualitative methods, specifically semi-structured interviews with junior and senior undergraduates at the University of Southern Mississippi. The purpose of this study is to better …

Beyond The Csu Ai Initiative Rollout: Exploring The Continued Uses, Gratifications, And Literacy Of Generative Artificial Intelligence Integration At Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Marshall Piros, Kaylie Marrs

Communication Studies

This case study examines the use of ChatGPT on the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (hereafter referred to as Cal Poly or Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo) campus as part of the system-wide CSU AI Initiative. This is a follow-up study to previous work in which the researchers examined AI usage and gratifications during the early rollout of the CSU AI Initiative during Spring 2025. Using a qualitative approach, we used semi-structured interviews (N = 24) to gather in-depth perspectives on AI usage, gratifications, concerns, and definitions of AI literacy from students and faculty. Findings indicate that while …

Amplifying Mother Leaders’ Voices: A Feminist Inquiry Into Gender Inequity In Higher Education Leadership, Katherine Bard

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Women now comprise more than half of mid- and upper-level administrators in higher education, yet they remain underrepresented in the most senior leadership roles. For mothers in leadership, this underrepresentation is compounded by gendered structures, expectations, and norms that shape their personal and professional lives in distinct ways. While scholarship has examined working motherhood broadly and gender inequity in higher education separately, little research has focused on how mother leaders experience and interpret gender inequity in higher education leadership. This study sought to address that gap by exploring the lived experiences of ten mother leaders working at research-intensive (R1) universities …

Hispanic Academic Leadership In The Health And Human Services, Gabriela Elizabeth Rangel

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, there are 63.7 million Hispanics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023), making them the largest racial or ethnic minority in the country. National data from 2019 indicates that only 6% of tenured faculty in the U.S. were Hispanic, highlighting a significant underrepresentation of leaders in academia (NCES, 2024). This study employed a phenomenological approach with purposeful sampling, utilizing semi-structured interviews with ten participants who had leadership experience in academia within Health and Human Services (H&HS). The interviews served to explore various aspects, such as what were their aspirations to become leaders, their perceptions of the characteristics and qualities …