Digital Commons Network^™

Manifesting A Shift In The "Overton Window": The Threat Of Project 2025 On The Lgbtq+ Community In Higher Education, Athena M. King, Sara Sanatkar

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Since the first Trump administration, historically marginalized groups in the United States have been subjected to greater instances of bigotry and discrimination due to conservative influence on sociopolitical institutions. These actions suggest a shift in the "Overton Window," whereby policy preferences previously deemed "unacceptable" are given consideration in the mainstream, especially by conservative policy actors. "Project 2025" is a comprehensive plan to restructure the federal government according to conservative dictates in the second Trump administration. This article is an examination of how higher education may be impacted by this plan, especially as it relates to LGBTQ+ faculty, administration, staff, and …

Setting The Stage For Success: Readiness And Connectedness As Antecedents Of Learning Continuance Intention In Online Learning, Yingqi Tang, Hungwei Tseng, Yu-Chun Kuo, Hsin-Te Yeh, Jianfang Liu

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Through a hierarchical multiple regression analysis, this study investigated how dimensions of online learning readiness and online connectedness influence students’ intentions to continue to take online courses. Data from 369 students who took at least one online course at a four-year public university showed that online learning readiness had a stronger relationship with continuance intention than online student connectedness, while online learning readiness had a significant correlation with online student connectedness. Online learning readiness and connectedness were indicators of online learning persistence. Factors such as age, computer/internet self-efficacy, self-directed learning, learner control, and facilitation influence students' intention to continue with …

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 …

Racial Battle Fatigue In Higher Education: Understanding The Intersectional Dimensions Of Faculty And Staff Experiences, Candice N. Flowers-Taylor

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation investigates Racial Battle Fatigue within institutions of higher education, focusing on its impact on faculty and staff of color. It examines how race, gender, socio-economic status, and institutional structures intersect to shape individual experiences of this phenomenon. To explore these dynamics, the study employs a qualitative methodology that includes semi-structured interviews, open-ended survey responses, and thematic analysis. It is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Racial Battle Fatigue, Critical Race Theory, and Intersectionality. This research offers insight into the emotional, psychological, and physical toll experienced by faculty and staff of color in predominantly white institutions. It challenges prevailing …

The Inward Gaze: White Faculty's Self-Perceptions Of Racial Identity, Privilege, And Its Impact On Pedagogy, David E. Houle

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines the evolving self-perceptions of racial consciousness among White faculty in higher education and its impact on pedagogical practices for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. This study is guided by Mezirow’s transformative learning theory and Rowe et al.’s White racial consciousness model and uses interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore participants’ narratives of White racial identity, disorientating dilemmas, critical self-reflection, and pedagogical transformation. The research highlights key moments of self-reflection and transformation that influence inclusive teaching strategies, such as prioritizing marginalized voices in course content and rethinking classroom dynamics to respond to systemic inequities. The findings reveal how …

The Perceptions Of Training And Development And Emotional Intelligence Among Virtual Leaders In Public And Private Institutions Of Higher Education, Ryan J. Trautweiler

Theses and Dissertations

This applied qualitative dissertation explored virtual leadership in higher education, examining virtual leaders' perceptions of training and development and emotional intelligence. Using an inductive research approach, data were collected through semistructured interviews and a questionnaire distributed via Google Forms to eight virtual leaders from public and private higher education institutions. Data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) and thematic analysis to identify key patterns and themes. Findings revealed distinctions between public and private institutions. In public institutions, training and development focused on faculty preparedness, resourcefulness in overcoming limitations, and its impact on student engagement. In private institutions, training was …

Physical Education And Sport-Focused Degree Programs: An Exploration Of Symbolic Boundaries And Policy Negotiations, Ellen Jones, David Aldous, Andrew P. Lane, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article explores the negotiation of contemporary policy agendas in physical education and sport-focused degree programs. Centring on one Higher Education Institution in Wales, the article pursues three foci in negotiations that are integral to the everyday work, relations and identities of academic staff: the commodification of university sport; quality learning and teaching; and changing relations with industry. Conceptually, the article draws upon Bernstein’s concept of symbolic boundaries to critically explore the translation and enactment of different policy agendas, and pursue constraints and possibilities arising for subject, professional and learner identities. Data from focus groups and interviews with 16 participants …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Gay White Men In Mid-Level Student Affairs Leadership Roles, S. Craig Mourton

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the lived experience of mid-level student affairs leaders who identify as cisgender, gay, White, and male in order to further understand the multidimensionality of embodying both privileged as well as marginalized identities. Four participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide and the resulting transcripts were analyzed utilizing the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) perspective. Experiential themes that emerged from the analysis of the individual cases as well as across the cases include unintended pathways into the field of student affairs, experiences of challenging heterosexual male supervisors and the preference for women supervisors, …

Black Women Found: Higher Education Leadership Experiences And Lifespan Identity Development Through Hip-Hop Feminism, James Antone Perry Jr.

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study investigates the leadership experiences and lifespan identity development of Black women in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) of higher education at the dean level and above. Black women have typically been excluded from positions of leadership at colleges and universities nationwide throughout history. Additionally, the experiences of Black women in higher education leadership roles have not been extensively studied in scholarly research. The literature review clearly demonstrates that a sizeable portion of the analyses on leadership identity and experiences have been shaped by homogeneous viewpoints. Hip-Hop feminism is the theoretical framework utilized within this study. The methodology is …

A Researcher’S Journey To The Use Of Ai For Qualitative Data Analysis: Findings From A Test Case With Chatgpt, Catherine Ferguson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has mostly focused on issues associated with teaching and assessment. In this paper I used AI to support the analysis of data which consisted of public comments on a newspaper article. This small, low risk research was chosen to demonstrate the potential use of AI and how it may support qualitative data analysis. I present my journey from a naïve user of AI to a position whereby I would consider using it as a support for future data analysis. My article touches on some of the ethical and accountability issues for …

Masculinism, Institutional Violence And #Metoo: Understanding Australian University Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emily Gray, Jacqueline Ullman, Mindy Blaise, Jo Pollitt

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article offers an analysis of data from the project Sexism, Higher Education, and Covid-19: The Australian Perspective. The authors argue that the gendered impact of the pandemic in Higher Education Institutions constitutes a form of institutionally perpetrated sexist harassment, and that raising awareness of the ways in which institutions themselves enable and perpetrate such harassment is consistent with the aims of the #MeToo movement. This article is intended to act as testament to the ways in which Australian universities function as masculinist institutions that, during this time of crisis, deployed tactics that were experienced by women and minority-identifying research …

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 …

Sense Of Belonging And Perceptions Of Learning In An Introductory College Course, Ellen Wang

Scripps Senior Theses

A sense of belonging (SB) – the feeling of deep connection with social groups, places, and experiences – has been described as a fundamental, pervasive need among humans (Allen et al., 2021; Baumeister & Leary, 1995). SB, and lack thereof, predicts myriad mental, physical, social, and economic outcomes. Belonging is a complex, multidimensional concept with a breadth of research across disciplines. It has been applied to school contexts in association with academic and psychosocial outcomes. The researcher partnered with an undergraduate course at The Claremont Colleges, and administered electronic surveys at two time points of the course. Students' sense of …

The Interplay Between The International And European Dimension: A Case Study Of The School Of Management Of Politecnico Di Milano, Mattia Quinteri

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Approaches In Preparing Transfer Degree Students For University Study: A Case Study Of A Community College In Rural Southwest Virginia, Melissa Suzanne Mckinney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand approaches for preparing students for their transition to a four-year university following completion of a transfer-focused associate degree at a community college. The theory guiding this study was Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory. The study followed an embedded, single case study design and included faculty members, staff, administrators, and students within the transfer division, along with general college staff at a rural community college in southwest Virginia. The study used surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather data which was analyzed to identify relevant themes and unique approaches to preparing transfer …

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.

Should We Clear The Cobwebs In Our Minds Or Dismantle Racial Structures? Reflections On The Lack Of Critical Thinking Of Higher Education Staff In The Uk, Chrissie Da Costa

Journal of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies

Higher education in the UK constantly emphasises  critical thinking for students. However, analysis of comments made about *Black students and staff indicate that some academic staff fail to critically analyse their thoughts, words, and deeds. This paper sets out to analyse these utterances of HE staff and to investigate whether they actively reproduce and are intended to reproduce racist practices in HE, which could affect the experience, performance, and confidence of some of these students and staff who identify as Black and Global Majorities.  Applying critical race theory and socio-ideological analysis of language (Bakhtin 1981 and Voloshinov 1973) to analyse …

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 …

Toward More Impactful Higher Education Advisory Boards: Foundational Elements For Success, Kyle Barnhart

Masters Projects

This project examines what makes for a successful advisory board within a higher education institution. Advisory boards play an important role in higher education, bringing industry insights, alumni experience, community connections, and outside expertise on a range of topics. A core challenge of advisory boards is a lack of consistency in their structure and operation which can result in these groups being less than effective or even perfunctory. This is a missed opportunity to engage volunteers, leverage outside expertise, and build important external connections, and develop long-term advocates. Poorly managed and ineffective boards can also be a drain on resources …

Mindfulness Matters: Addressing Anxiety And Navigating Toward Wellbeing Through Miea Mindfulness Practices, A Mixed-Methods Study Of Lgbtiq Graduate Writing Students, Kim Westerman

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Mindfulness Matters: Addressing Anxiety and Navigating Toward Wellbeing Through MIEA Mindfulness Practices, a Mixed-Methods Study of LGBTIQ Graduate Writing Students

Anxiety has always been a part of the human experience, even before the phenomenon was conceptualized in the 17^th century and named by Freud in the 19th. And human beings have devised many strategies for addressing anxiety: reducing it, ignoring it, distracting oneself from it, despairing over it, medicating it, engaging with it, moving through it, co-existing with it. The current zeitgeist, more than four years into the COVID-19 global pandemic, situates anxiety as a central facet of …

Pacific Magazine 2024, University Of The Pacific

Pacific Magazine and Pacific Review

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Experience Of Being Food Insecure At An Independent College Or University, Natalie Wagner

Dissertations

Many people struggle to consistently access enough food for an active and healthy life (United States Department of Agriculture, 2020). Research has shown that college students experience food insecurity at rates higher than the general population while also facing negative academic, mental, physical, and social consequences (Baker-Smith et al., 2020; Bruening et al., 2018; Dubick et al., 2016; Henry, 2017; Martinez et al., 2018). Although studies on food insecurity among higher education have increased in the past few years, much of the research has been quantitative in nature and has been conducted at community colleges and state-funded institutions (Baker-Smith et …

Conceptualizing Micro-Level Internationalization From Empirical And Conceptual Constructs: Adding The Human Dimension, Omolabake Fakunle, Fiona Hunter

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Present And Preparing For The Future In Collegiate Esports, Marc C. Dearmond

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

While esports continues to grow as a varsity sport across higher education campuses, new programs are being built focusing on esports as a field of study. However, more research is needed about how esports programs are being administered on college campuses and how these programs are being measured for success. This three-article dissertation focuses on esports at the collegiate and undergraduate levels. The first study is a literature review focused on topics of research available for reading assignments in an online program based on the esports ecosystem as defined by Anderson et al. (2018). It contains an examination of current …

Understanding Social Media As A Communicative Tool To Facilitate Critical Discourse: Using #Blackgirlmagic To Explore How Black Women In Higher Education “Talk Back", Crystal Spruill Carter

Theses and Dissertations

Black women have engaged through social media platforms, as a mechanism to uplift their embodiment, despite being relegated to the margins. The hashtag #BlackGirlMagic (BGM) is linked to narratives of Black women in higher education that are empowering and problematic. The development of the popular social media movement during a time when Black women were being portrayed negatively made engaging in the discourse "talking back" possible. This study explores the lived experiences of Black women college students and recent graduates, using currere as an analytical tool for my own communication journals entries as a data source to structure my reflections …

Study Abroad Angst: A Literature Review On The Mental Health Of International Students During Covid-19, Daisuke Akiba, Michael Perrone, Caterina Almendral

Publications and Research

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique and unprecedented challenges for international students, those studying at institutions of higher education outside of their home countries, due to their distinct circumstances and vulnerabilities. This literature review examines the multifaceted mental health burdens they experienced and highlights the need for targeted support and interventions. Methods: A rigorous search across three databases (i.e., PubMed, PsycINFO, and ERIC) yielded 50 empirical studies for inclusion in this literature review. A six-phase thematic analysis framework was employed to identify and synthesize key themes. Results: Seven prominent themes emerged: (1) academic and professional disruptions; (2) challenges navigating international …

It’S Dangerous To Learn Alone – Play This: Video Games In Higher Education, Particularly In The Composition Classroom, Joy Sterrantino

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

When people think of educational games, they often just think of ones geared towards kids: these might include spelling and vocabulary games like Scribblenauts, creative games such as Minecraft, as well as historical games such as Carmen [Sandiego]’s Ancient Caper, but according to the Entertainment Software Association in 2019, 65% of adults play video games (almost half of which are female), the average gamer is 33 years old, and 63% of all gamers are playing with others at least one hour a week (“Essential Facts” 4, 5, 8). This means that the majority of …

Studying Silence In Popular Culture, Kathy Merlock Jackson, Terry Lindvall

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This article explains the impetus for and execution of a team-taught, interdisciplinary class in silence using popular culture materials and practices, such as silent film, music, meditation, and mime. The course identifies individuals as possessing characteristics of introversion and extraversion and explores the role of silence in the modern world, incorporating the following: (1) Foundations for the Study of Silence, (2) The History of Silence, (3) The Role of Silence in Spirituality, Creativity and Reflection, (4) Silence in Communication Study, (5) Silent Film and Silence in Film, (6) The Role of Silence in a Highly Technological, Mediated World, and (7) …

The Impact Of Oer’S Continuous Improvement Cycles On Students’ Performance: A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Rise Framework, Daniela Castellanos-Reyes, Sandra L. Carmago Salamanca, David Wiley

Entrepreneurship Faculty Research

Open educational resources (OER) have been praised for revolutionizing education. However, practitioners and instructors battle keeping OER updated and measuring their impact on students’ performance. Few studies have analyzed the improvement of OER over time in relation to achievement. This longitudinal study uses learning analytics through the open-source Resource Inspection, Selection, and Enhancement (RISE) analysis framework to assess the impact of continuous improvement cycles on students’ outcomes. Panel data (i.e., performance and use) from 190 learning objectives of OER of an introductory sociology course were analyzed using a hierarchical linear model. Results show that more visits to an OER do …

A Qualitative Study Of The Career Experiences Of Asian And Asian American Female Administrators In U.S. Higher Education, Yunru Shen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences of Asian and Asian American women administrators’ career paths in U.S. higher education. The research fills a gap in the literature regarding the careers of Asian and Asian American women administrators. The recruitment process was completed between May 13 and July 9, 2024. Recruitment emails were sent to 25 potentially qualified participants, including a network of 17 people made up of mentors, professors, and colleagues, as well as eight professional associations and LinkedIn. The participants were six Asian and Asian American biologically female administrators at U.S. colleges and universities. These participants currently hold …