Digital Commons Network^™

Academic Librarians In Second Life, Denise Cote, Beth Kraemer, Diane Nahl, Robin Ashford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

The multi-user virtual world Second Life is an online software platform that allows users to jointly explore realistic three-dimensional environments via avatar characters, communicate via voice and text chat, and collaborate using shared creation tools. Librarians and educators have been developing academic content and services in Second Life for use with students and other constituency groups since 2005. This study surveyed academic librarians working in Second Life to discover their perceptions of virtual world environments for teaching and learning and to gauge the impact of this technology on their work with faculty and students. Sixty-two librarians provided details on various …

A Study Of The Louisiana Community And Technical College System's Leadership Development Institute And The Impact Of Participation, Peggy Leonard Hohensee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Begun in 2001, the Leadership Development Institute (LDI) was created by the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) as a means of improving the leadership abilities of faculty, staff, and administrative personnel throughout the system, a “grow your own” leadership program (Leadership Development, 2006). LDI has evolved into a nine-month program of presentations, lectures, mentoring, self-exploration activities, and internships. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the impact of participation in LDI on the career and educational goals of former cohort members. Phase One of this research project, the qualitative portion of the study, was composed …

Traditional And Nontraditional Dean's Multi Level Multi Dimensional Complexity Leadership, Nicholas Spezza

Student Scholarship

The higher education leadership literature has little to say about nontraditional candidates (executives who have never held a full time faculty post) and their ability to perform in senior leadership roles in higher education administration. We conducted a qualitative research design to capture the lived experiences of participants in higher education administration. We interviewed 21 deans in higher educational institutions. Our findings show that deans operate within what we label as a Multi Level Multi Dimensional System (MLMDS). We view this MLMDS through the lens and disciplines emerging from Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT). We also find the higher education environment …

Faculty Work: Moving Beyond The Paradox Of Autonomy And Collaboration, Mark A. Hower

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Freedom to pursue one's intellectual interests, known as professional autonomy, is a valued and longstanding faculty tradition. Profound changes in society and the academy, however, suggest new values may be emerging. Collaboration, for example, is increasingly vital to success outside of the academy, and faculty culture, long an individualistic domain, may be shifting in response. This multiple case study explores how faculty members experience the relationship between professional autonomy and collaboration within the context of their department work. Faculty members in four departments were interviewed and both qualitative and simple quantitative data collected. The study found faculty members satisfied with …

Explanatory Style And Innovativeness: Use Of Web 2.0 Tools In Education, Michelle Rogers-Estable

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

People may have either a more positive or more negative explanatory style, and their explanatory style consequently leads to behavior choices. Explanatory style may be a primary intrinsic factor underlying optimistic or pessimistic attitudes that directly affect technology adoption by faculty. Research has already found some links among optimism, positive attitudes, and technology adoption. This dissertation therefore analyzed the relationship between explanatory style and individual innovativeness among higher education faculty as measured by the use of emerging Web 2.0 technologies in higher education with the intent to better understand how optimism and pessimism affect choices to use technology in education. …

Transformational Learning For Organizational Change: Exploring Employee Experiences With A Student Affairs Workplace Professional Development Program, Katherine Erin Vahey

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore a professional development curriculum in an institution of higher education. This case study advocates that all student affairs employees undergo continuous professional development training to provide collective understanding of essential workplace concepts necessary for effective organizational development. The research question-- How do student affairs employees experience workplace training as it contributes to organizational development?--addresses the confluence of two areas of higher education literature: transformative learning for education practitioner's professional growth and best practices for higher education organizational development. Using a constructivist, case study-narrative design, this research explores employee experiences with a professional …

The First Year: A Cultural Shift Towards Improving Student Progress, Becky Jobe

Higher Learning Research Communications

Student attrition has been a primary focus among higher education institutions for nearly 50 years, yet overall retention and graduation rates continue to be of significant concern. Despite increased attention, ongoing struggles of colleges and universities to effectively address potential barriers to student progress are well-documented. Part of the challenge lies in garnering widespread organizational commitment that establishes student progress as an institutional priority. Along with leadership commitment, broad institutional involvement and adherence to a systematic approach to testing new, innovative solutions are necessary to better position the institution to make clear, evidence-based decisions that improve the student experience. The …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Leadership Styles Of Middle School Principals And Instructional Leaders, Jessica Devine, Gary Alger

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Grade inflation has been a “hot topic” in the higher education literature for some time now, due primarily to conflicting interpretations of grade-change data. While definitions of grade inflation vary, most seem to indicate that inflation has occurred if a higher grade is awarded without a co-occurring increase in student achievement, and is the outcome of decreased rigor in the assessment of student learning (see Boretz 2004; Young and ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education 2003). Thus, the controversy is in regard to whether or not reported changes in GPA and grade distributions reflect instructor leniency.

Journal Usage By Subject For Fiscal Year 2011, Michael A. Cerbo Ii

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Journal holdings for the University Libraries are listed alphabetically by subject than authority title. Usage statistics for the fiscal year are included along with a cost per use where available. The information is taken from each vendor and incorporated in Serials Solutions 360 Counter.

The Politics Of Data: Gender Bias And Border Mentality In The Eeoc Job Category Compliance Chart And How Transnational Gender Mainstreaming Can Offer Best Practices For Change, Jody Lisberger

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

This essay examines how the EEOC Compliance Chart obscures and so perpetuates gender inequalities for today’s institutions. The paper explores second and third wave feminist national and global organizing strategies to contemplate best practices for change. Using two models of women's activism the essay puts forward best practices for creating in universities the kind of transnational nonstate activism and advocacy that has created gender mainstreaming success around the world.

Gender Stereotypes Of Leaders: Do They Influence Leadership In Higher Education?, Margaret Madden

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

This article reviews social psychological and organizational development literature on gender stereotypes and leadership style and effectiveness and explores its relevance for leadership in higher education. Implications of the dichotomous stereotypes of “friendly vs. competent” and “agentic vs. communal” frame a discussion of social psychological research on how stereotypes affect perceptions of leaders. Ways to overcome stereotypes and the application of feminist values to leadership strategies are also discussed.

Undergraduate Commencement Exercises Program, May 21, 2011

Bryant University Commencements

Bryant University Undergraduate Commencement Exercises Program, May 21, 2011.

The Nature Of Relationship Construction And Maintenance For New College Presidents: An Exploratory Study, Mark Allen

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of relationships within the context of a new college presidency. The college presidency is unique given the societal importance of higher education and the organizational complexity of academia. To remain relevant in addressing society's needs a president must successfully create an environment receptive to self-examination and change. Central to a president's success is the ability to construct and maintain effective relationships. This exploratory research employed a phenomenological approach, interviewing eleven new college presidents as the primary method for gathering data. Through data analysis the researcher captured a deeper understanding of …

Pengukuran Servant Leadership Sebagai Alternatif Kepemimpinan Di Institusi Pendidikan Tinggi Pada Masa Perubahan Organisasi, Seger Handoyo

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

Leadership is a critical factor for organizational effectiveness and also has great influence to almost all human life. Higher education has a distinctive characteristics, so it needs a particular leadership. Recently, higher education in Indonesia is actively making organizational change, so higher education’s leaders continually make efforts to accomplish successful and significant change. The purposes of research are to examine how important is virtues of servant leadership and to examine multidimensionality of servant leadership. Result shows that servant leadership is an alternative of leadership to accomplish successful organizational change in higher education. Result also finds that servant leadership is a …

The Use Of Assessment For Institutional Sensemaking By Top Administrative Officials, Johnston Niven Hegeman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study explored the relationship between the degree to which top administrators of four-year colleges and universities that have been effective in implementing and sustaining assessment view the use of assessment and seven components of institutional sensemaking at their institutions. The underlying premise is that outcomes assessment practices represent a transformational change in higher education, and institutional sensemaking has been identified as a central feature of institutional transformation efforts. Understanding how assessment results and institutional sensemaking are intertwined should be useful for professionals charged with designing or implementing assessment plans, because it may lead to new ways to connect assessment …

Leadership In Tunisian Higher Education From The Perspective Of The Efqm Excellence Model, Raoudha Kammoun, Omar Ben-Ayed

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Since the early 1980s, the concept of quality has been a central focus of attention in the debate of higher education (HE). Over time, many developed countries have experienced a growing concern for quality in HE such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, and the United States of America, amongst others (Anyamele 2004, Becket and Brookes 2005). The focus on quality leads many developed countries to acknowledge the benefits of the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) within their institutions (Kanji and Tambi, 1999). However, quality movement is rather slow in the HE of developing countries. Indeed, some HEIs have …

Community College Succession Planning: Preparing The Next Generation Of Women For Leadership Roles, Angela Kaysen Luzbetak

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore strategies to enable community colleges to develop and cultivate women for leadership roles through succession planning. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the pace of administrative and other key staff retirements exceeds the pace at which these positions are being re-staffed (Shults, 2001). One might question why the purposeful development of future community college leaders is critical. Community colleges currently face a crucial leadership crisis in the United States. Pending retirements and the lack of succession planning to fill upcoming vacancies is reaching a critical turning point. The Chronicle …

Deans Of Career And Technical Education: Charting The Course To Senior Administration, Shelley Zarovsky Levin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the essential leadership practices, abilities, and experiences of Deans of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and to consider how these Deans of CTE fit into the succession process of the community college. A qualitative case study was conducted with three dyads of career Deans and their supervising senior administrators, using the comparative case method to analyze the data collected from the participants.

The data were collected from in-person participant interviews on their respective campuses. One Dean of CTE and the supervising senior administrator were at a rural college; one dyad was at …

Undergraduate Commencement Exercises Program, May 22, 2010

Bryant University Commencements

Undergraduate Commencement Exercises Program, May 22, 2010.

Graduate School Commencement Exercises Program, May 20, 2010

Bryant University Commencements

Graduate School Commencement Exercises Program, May 20,2010.

The Role Of Higher Education In Advancing Nurse Practitioners: A Look At The Institutional Decision Calculus Of A Health Sciences University, Debra Jo Johnson Phd

Dissertations

In 2004, professional nursing joined the ranks of other health professions by altering accreditation standards for nurse practitioners, which now mandate that their terminal degree advance beyond the master's degree currently required for the doctor of nursing practice (DNP). This research examines the decision-making process involved in implementing a web-based DNP program in 2008 at a college of graduate nursing embedded in a health sciences university. Findings from two case studies, one of faculty and one of administrators, provide a narrative description of the institution, the decision process, and then describe how institutional and external factors influenced the process. Institutional …

Differing Administrator, Faculty, And Staff Perceptions Of Organizational Culture As Related To External Accreditation, Claire Procopio

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

There is an inherent tension in the U.S. system of accreditation. Historically, the system has been one of self-regulation (Brittingham, 2009). As access to higher education has grown, however, and the concomitant flow of federal money to colleges and universities has increased, the federal government and the taxpayers it represents have called for more and more external reporting of measures of college quality. Critics of the current system would like more external oversight to create what they have termed variously a “culture of quality” or a “culture of evidence” (Bardo, 2009; Crow, 2009; Kelderman, 2009; Understanding, 2001). The most dissatisfied …

Faculty Inside A Changing University: Constructing Roles, Making Spaces, Leslie D. Gonzales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The notion of a multiversity was stamped into the higher education literature by Clark Kerr in 1963 when he spoke about the numerous purposes tied to U.S. higher education. Kerr highlighted how the University is often pulled in many directions at once, asked to fulfill promises of the cultural, educational, national, societal, and now, of the global kind. Yet it is imperative to remember that these multiversities are not empty spaces. They are occupied and brought to life by the people who work inside them, especially the faculty, who Gregorian (2005) names as the "heart and soul, the bone marrow …

Splitting The Academy: The Emotions Of Intersectionality At Work, Helen A. Moore, Katherine Acosta, Gary Perry, Crystal Edwards

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Using labor market theory, we assess how we have constructed the teaching of required courses on diversity, with the potential splitting of the academy into distinctive labor markets. In-depth interviews with instructors of color and nonminorities who teach required diversity-education courses at a predominately white university are qualitatively assessed and describe the differences in the emotional labor attached to this segmented academic market.We identify specific dimensions of diversity teaching that attach to the job conditions of secondary labor markets, including the distortion of work loads and evidence of differential barriers in the emotional labor attached. These labor market conditions may …

Critical Issues In Higher Education For The Public Good: Qualitative, Quantitative & Historical Research Perspectives, Penny A. Pasque Ed., Nicholas A. Bowman Ed., Magdalena Martinez Ed.

KSU Press Legacy Project

Critical Issues in Higher Education for the Public Good offers new evidence and insights into the complexities of higher education and the public good. This unique collection of award winning authors discusses what is needed in order to actualize higher education for the public good, where "higher education" and "the public" are inclusive of multiple constituencies. Issues of race, class, gender, ethnicity, urban environments, and systemic oppression are addressed, along with teaching and learning, study abroad, affirmative action and community-university engagement.

This book represents an ongoing commitment to bring new scholarly voices into a public discussion about the relationship that …

Campus Internationalization Initiatives: From Policy To Practice In Study Abroad Programming, Kira Mendez Espiritu Phd

Dissertations

As U.S. colleges and universities prepare students to enter an ever-increasing global society, the pressure on higher education institutions to graduate globally competent and culturally sensitive students is growing. To respond to this demand, many colleges and universities are participating in campus internationalization initiatives that are broad-based efforts that create diversity on campus and expose students and faculty to a more global perspective. The presence of campus internationalization initiatives is relatively new, therefore there is little research regarding best practices in the area of campus internationalization. The practice of internationalization initiatives continues to grow and higher-level administrators such as presidents, …

The Pacifican January 29, 2009, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.

Assessing University Strategic Plans: A Tool For Consideration, Shannon Chance, Brenda T. Williams

Articles

This article explores the use of rubrics as tools for assessing the quality of university-developed strategic plans. While tools exist for assessing the quality of the planning process, such tools are not readily available for assessing the resulting product or the overall quality of the plan itself. Specifi cally, a rubric is described that has been designed and fi eld-tested for the purpose of evaluating the strategic planning document produced at the university level. This approach builds upon outcome assessment methods developed in the business sector and proposes a tool tailored for use in higher education.

Post-Implementation Success Factors For Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) Student Administration Systems In Higher Education In, Linda Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigated the post-implementation experiences of 6 higher education institutions following the initial implementation of a Student Administration ERP system and explored how these institutions used the post-implementation phase to maximize the benefits from the ERP system. A mixed-method approach consisting of an online survey and qualitative case study was utilized for data collection; within-case and cross-case analyses were performed to generate the research results and findings. The overall post-implementation experiences of the case study institutions were found to be similar in nature, regardless of institution size. Several post-implementation characteristics were also found to be shared in varying …

A Comparison Of Faculty And Administrator Perceptions Of The Merger Of Kentucky's Community Colleges And Vocational/Technical Institutes., Jason Douglas Warren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the most nationally-recognized, two-year legislative reform initiatives in the U.S. began in Kentucky with the passage of the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 (HB1). This exploratory, cross-sectional, correlational study was administered at the 10-year anniversary of the HB1-legislated formation of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), which originally combined 13 community colleges formerly governed by the University of Kentucky and 25 vocational/technical institutes previously governed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Workforce Development. This dissertation examined faculty and administrator perceptions of the merger of Kentucky's community colleges and vocational/technical institutes that resulted from HB1. Two …