Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating The Academic Terrain: Examining The Challenges And Success Factors Of Student Veterans In Higher Education Institutions, Katherine Reyes, Corey Idleburg

Education Division Scholarship

This study investigates the academic experiences of student veterans, addressing specific challenges they face in higher education. Using Schlossberg’s adult transition theory, it explores the effects of invisible barriers, enrollment trends, and institutional factors on veteran student success, leveraging the VA’s GI Bill Comparison tool to examine public versus private school support. Findings underscore the need for targeted resources, faculty training, and institutional awareness to foster a supportive and inclusive environment that enhances veteran students' academic success and sense of belonging.

Nsu Outreach, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Digital: Communiversity

No abstract provided.

Nsu Communiversity Outreach, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Digital: Communiversity

No abstract provided.

Uncertain Futures, Unfinished Journeys: The Complex Realities Of Belonging Among International College Women Of Color In The U.S., Matheeha Majeeth

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study explored the complex and personal lived experiences of International College Women of Color (ICWOC) as they navigated the complexities of developing of a sense of belonging within their U.S. higher education institution (HEI). Guided by Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of Intersectionality (1991,1989) and Strayhorn’s College Student Sense of Belonging theory (2012), this research study used an interpretive phenomenological approach to explore how racism, ethnocentrism and misogyny shaped the ICWOC participants’ academic and social journeys in their U.S. HEIs. Through individual, semi-structured interviews with the participants, this study revealed that belonging was not simply about institutional access or inclusion. It …

How Inclusive Are Degree Programs In Operations Research And Analytics In The U.S.?, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Tayo Fabusuyi, Elham Hesari, Salina Chu

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

Academic programs in colleges and universities in the United States have increasingly embraced principles of equity and inclusion to support student success and diversity within professions. Innovations in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in university programs require baseline data on students, faculty and administrators, curricula, and programmatic support. A review of data shows that underrepresented groups in the US workforce have limited visibility in operations research and analytics. A review of DEI-related research reveals some relevant insights including a gap in studies specific to operations research and analytics.

To provide evidence in support of DEI initiatives in OR/analytics, we describe …

Examining How Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience, And Social Support Influence Academic Satisfaction, Zoe Caldwell

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

College students face many challenges while working toward their educational goals (Meneghel et al., 2019). Although stressors may not seem significant, they are important to address as the effects accumulate over time and can have a negative impact on students' performance (Gresham & Karatekin, 2023). Without the impact of ACEs, children would be better equipped with skills that could help them continue with higher education, gain better employment, and break the cycle of trauma for any future children. Resilience can help students cope with challenges and improve their chances of graduation and academic success (Myat Zaw et al., 2022). One …

2025-2026 Course Catalog, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of The Registrar

University of Montana Course Catalogs, 1895-2024

An annual catalog of courses and course descriptions offered at the University of Montana.

“We’Re Here, We’Re Queer, And We’Re Not Going Away” Student Policies And Lgbtq+ Students’ Experiences On Canadian Christian Campuses, Angela E. Gallo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research highlights that Christian campuses are often unwelcoming and hostile spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender and sexually diverse (LGBTQ+) students. Yet, research, including emerging Canadian research, often overlooks how institutional policies shape LGBTQ+ students’ experiences. Further, little attention is given to the affirming experiences LGBTQ+ students encounter on Christian campuses. Through a collective case study of two Canadian Christian universities involving document analysis and interviews, I explored the discourses that school policies constructed concerning gender and sexuality, LGBTQ+ students’ experiences of exclusion and affirmation, and how policy, alongside other factors, shapes their experiences and well-being. …

Faculty Of Arts And Sciences Prospectus 2026, Faculty Of Arts And Sciences

The Aga Khan University Prospectuses and Brochures

• Message from the Pro Chancellor
• Message from the President
• Message from the Dean
• About AKU
• About the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• About the Programme
• Core Curriculum
• Interdisciplinary Majors
• Experiential Learning
• Senior Capstone
• Message from the Director of Undergraduate Studies
• Explore Our Majors
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies – Career Pathways
• Environmental Studies – Career Pathways
• Philosophy, Politics, and Economics – Career Pathways
• Social Development Studies – Career Pathways
• Courses at a Glance
• Message from the Associate Dean – Research
• The Design Laboratory (D-Lab)
• FAS Library
• Hallmarks of FAS Graduates
• Student Testimonial
• Student Testimonial
• Applying to the FAS
• Fees and …

Understanding Supervisory Practice And Development In The Pre-Hdr Space: An Ethogenic Approach, Jenny Martin, Alison Owens, Sara Bayes, Paul Tofari, Claire Lynch, Nicola Brown, Benjamin Mountford, Ellen Warne

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article addresses the lack of support for new supervisors in the pre-Higher Degree Research space, including undergraduate honours and postgraduate capstone projects. The research provides an inter-faculty perspective on the needs of pre-HDR students and supervisors, informing an online professional learning resource to address the problem. Concepts from ethogenic social psychology were used to theorise supervision as a complex practice involving two analytically distinct domains of human behaviour: the expressive and practical domains. Semi-structured focus group interviews with alumni and supervisors from Education, Arts-Humanities, and Health Sciences provided data for a needs analysis and to stimulate deliberation amongst the …

Cinderella On The Path At Midnight: Students On Regional University Campuses And Equity, Colleen Carlon, Lucinda Aberdeen, Robyn Eversole, Merete Schmidt, Janet Congues, Kylie Wrigley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Just as Cinderella’s prospects for attending the ball seemed elusive, so does higher education for people living in rural, remote and regional locations in Australia. The concentration of university campuses in Australian capital cities systematically diminishes opportunities for people living in regional locations. Indeed, most regional communities in Australia do not have access to a local university campus. This article presents research that captures the voices and experiences of students studying on three small regional university campuses through semi-structured interviews. Acknowledging their intersectional diversity linked to gender, ethnicity, caring and cultural responsibilities, disability, and socio-economic status, a thematic analysis of …

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, …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 8, Issue 2, Fall 2024

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2024 issue (Volume 8, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2024 issue presents practical ideas and prompts for those who teach at colleges and universities in a variety of disciplines. Articles ways to use popular culture (in this case, reality TV) to teach higher-level concepts; strategies for adapting Lesson Study techniques for preservice teachers; and a review of McNair et al.'s 2022 book on creating student ready colleges.

The Promise Of Lived Experience: Assessing Race And Merit After Sffa, Taonga Leslie, Claire Comey

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

70 years after Brown, students of color remain underrepresented in U.S. colleges and universities and in professions like law, medicine, business, and academia, which, in turn, drives inequitable social and economic outcomes. Recent Supreme Court decisions threaten to further exacerbate this inequity by preventing schools from considering race when making admissions decisions and shaping their classes. This article contends that by placing greater emphasis on applicants’ experiences of race, admissions officers can more accurately assess merit, improve services to disadvantaged communities, and achieve the pedagogical benefits of diversity. The article situates the lived experience approach within a well-established tradition permitting …

Sel For Well-Being And Equity In Higher Education, Colleen Conley, Deborah Donahue-Keegan

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The understood overarching purpose of higher education is to prepare students, typically young adults, with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate, thrive in, and be contributing members of society (Hurtado, 2019). In this time of unprecedented cross-sectoral complexity and volatility on a global scale, institutions of higher education must consider a more expansive set of learning and competency outcomes (Gopalan et al., 2022). This paradigm shift is essential given the alarming rise in mental health challenges on college and university campuses, deep polarization, and an increased demand for prosocial skills in workplaces across sectors (Dermody et al., 2022; Padurean …

Pacific Magazine 2024, University Of The Pacific

Pacific Magazine and Pacific Review

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Lorena Basso, Magdalena Cardoner, Paula De Bonis, Mariana Ferrarelli, Stefanía Martínez León And Pedro Ravela. Aprender En Comunidad: Prácticas Colaborativas Para Transformar La Evaluación (Learning In Community: Collaborative Practices To Transform Assessment), Montevideo: Grupo Magro Editores

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Building On Strengths: A Collaborative, Asset-Focused Approach To Teaching Critical Information Literacy Skills, Rebecca B. Penrose, Kristi J. Chavez

Communications in Information Literacy

This article showcases an instructor–librarian collaborative model for teaching critical information literacy (CIL) skills in a higher education course by incorporating interactive workshops into a sequence of required course assignments. Using an asset-focused design, this assignment sequence allows students to first demonstrate their existing research strategies and then evaluate those strategies during workshop activities, applying the CIL principles they are learning. In this way, the approach recognizes students’ existing strengths and builds upon them, while emphasizing self-reflection opportunities and an intentional research focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation. Results from our one-year study are also highlighted. The suggested instructional …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Women Students With Mobility Disabilities Accessing Higher Education In Oman, Zalikha Al-Marzouqi, Aida Al-Dhoani

Journal of International Women's Studies

The higher education system in Oman offers various services to support disabled students to create a positive relationship between students with disabilities, their families, and the community. Both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development share the responsibility of educating students with disabilities. However, women students with disabilities, particularly those with mobility disabilities, still face challenges within higher education institutions. While Omani law allows women with disabilities to pursue higher education, it is uncertain whether women students with mobility disabilities encounter difficulties in accessing education at higher education institutions. Notably, there have been no studies specifically exploring …

You Are Not Alone: An Innovative, Collaborative Approach To Student Wellness And Mental Health In Honors, Sheryl Ford, Joshua Stockley

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

This essay presents an innovative, proactive solution to the growing mental health needs of honors students. Authors discuss the ways in which one program at a large public university revised curriculum, created programming, and formed strategic partnership with the university’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program to understand and address student mental health in honors. Acknowledging a growing national trend of depression, anxiety, and suicide among college students, authors posit that dynamic outreach and dialogue with students about their struggles with assignments, activities, and academic expectations can create effective strategies for nurturing student development and well-being.

Full Issue 16(4) 2024

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of College Students' Experiences With College-Provided Mental Healthcare Services, Adrian M. Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand college students' perspectives on college-provided mental healthcare services. The framework guiding this study is the theory of planned behavior (TPB), developed by Fishbein and Ajzen. The TPB theory is based on attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intention. The central research question: What are college students' perspectives on college-provided mental healthcare services? The design of this qualitative study is hermeneutic phenomenology, a rigorous and well-established approach. A sample of twelve participants, carefully selected based on pre-determined criteria, was included in the study. The participants, a diverse mix of current …

Student Experiences With Self-Determination And Agency: Centering Disabled Voices Through Photovoice, Rebecca Boineau Smith Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Young adults with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) are less likely than young adults without disability to be employed, enrolled in postsecondary education, or live independently after high school (Lauer & Houtenville, 2017; Newman, et al., 2011). Self-determination, or the freedom to act as the primary causal agent in one’s life (Palmer & Wehmeyer, 1998), is a well-documented component of enhanced quality of life (Shogren et al., 2017) and a predictor of postschool success (Mazzotti et al., 2021; Test et al. 2009) for students with disabilities. People with IDD are less self-determined than their nondisabled peers, and often less self-determined …

Jacks Of All Hats: Role Complexity, Ambiguity, And The Experiences Of Short- Term Study Abroad Faculty

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

A Place To Rest My Soul: How A Doctoral Student Of Color Group Utilized A Healing-Centered Space To Navigate Higher Education, Jessica I. Ramirez

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Students of Color have historically faced explicit and implicit forms of discrimination and oppression in educational settings. Unfortunately, not much has changed over the decades as Students of Color continue to experience white supremacy and other systems of oppression. As Students of Color enter graduate school, there are often fewer Students of Color, making these educational settings isolating and hostile. These experiences often encompass white supremacist policies, practices, and remarks that negatively impact Students of Color. With this in mind and as someone who identifies as a Chicana who was once in a doctoral program, I questioned how doctoral Students …

Counselor Educators' Acceptance Of Immersive And Interactive Virtual Reality As A Pedagogical Tool, Melissa A. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explores the acceptance of immersive and interactive virtual reality (IIVR) among counselor educators in higher education. It aims to identify the factors influencing their intentions to use IIVR as a teaching tool by examining relationships between various predictors and behavioral intention. This representative survey reveals significant positive correlations between behavioral intention and performance expectancy (r =.56), effort expectancy (r = .40), and social influence (r = .55), confirming that these predictive factors play a vital role in IIVR acceptance. Additional analyses indicate that age and gender do not significantly moderate these relationships, suggesting a universal inclination toward adopting …

A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Analysis Of Cross-Race/Cross-Ethnic Academic Advising First-Generation Latina/O Students Attending A Predominantly White Institution, Aisha A. Alvarez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of first-generation Latina/o students with non-Latina/o academic advisors at a Predominantly White Institution, Pink Ivy University. It is important to identify policies and practices for academic advising that can strengthen the relationship between first-generation Latina/o students and non-Latina/o academic advisors. Miller’s relational-cultural theory (RCT) guided this study. RCT was used to shape the sub-research questions and was used to frame the data analysis. First-generation Latina/o students over 18 who have completed at least one full year at the selected PWI and have used the services of their non-Latina/o …

Applying An Intersectional And Multi-Systemic Level Approach To Adei Institutional Assessments In Social Work Higher Education, Diana A. Melendez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Institutional Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ADEI) tools and assessment models are needed to support schools of social work in demonstrating compliance with the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). This study develops a new tool and model for ADEI institutional assessment in social work higher education using a collaborative, intersectional and multi-systemic level approach. The primary aim of the project was to develop and test a new tool to gather and document experience(s) of coloniality within a social work higher education institution, from multiple stakeholders’ perspectives, as a usable model of ADEI …

Should We Move To Suspend Robert’S Rules Forever: A Review And Proposal For Student Government Communication, Harper Estus

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to understand and improve how student leaders in student government (senators) communicate with one another during their meetings. My research question was, how can I effectively work with the Associated Student Government (ASG) at the University of San Diego (USD) to improve the senator’s meeting communication through parliamentary practice? The use of Robert’s Rules (parliamentary procedure) is common for student government. I analyzed mixed-method data through three cycles: focus group, survey, and semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that there are pros and cons to meeting structures, most participants are open to different meeting …

Supporting International Students' Emotional And Social Wellbeing: Addressing Pressing Issues Related To Tuition And Visa Status Anxiety, Jinyi Chen

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to engage and build community with international students and to find ways to support them emotionally and socially leading to better mental health outcomes. My research question was: how can I support international college students to alleviate common mental health issues many continue to experience as a result of their international status? This occurs particularly when they must deal with tuition and visa status anxiety. I did three cycles in the research process using online surveys, interviews, and a large debriefing group meeting. Findings indicated that visa status anxiety is one of the most …