Digital Commons Network^™

An Action Research Study On Ai Video Vs. Written Feedback: Enhancing Undergraduate Academic Writing And Critical Thinking, Sandra Baroudi, Nida Mubeen, Suha Karaki

All Works

This action research explores how AI-assisted feedback formats influence students’ academic writing and critical thinking, a gap particularly relevant in the digital learning landscape. This study involved 40 undergraduate Emirati students divided into two groups, receiving either AI-generated video or written feedback across three assignments. Using a quantitative design, data were gathered using standardized critical thinking and academic writing skills rubrics. Additionally, students completed post-surveys to capture their perceptions, engagement levels and use of AI tools in the learning process. Results showed written feedback significantly improvemed critical thinking (M = 2.80, SD = 0.75) compared to video feedback (M = …

Disability Activism And Legal Education: How The Student And Parent Activists Of The Disability Rights Movement Paved The Way For Law Students To Challenge Discrimination, Dana Dworkin

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Disability discrimination in education is a long-standing and powerful tradition in the United States. Students with disabilities in higher education have historically been, and continue to be, the most powerful harbingers of change in eliminating disability discrimination in education. The birth of the disability rights movement occurred in higher education institutions across the nation in the 1970s, and the movement achieved both cultural and legislative success. Its spirit continues on today in U.S. law schools. Law students with disabilities are utilizing the legislative advances achieved by the disability rights activists of yesteryear in order to create a more equitable system …

Mentoring Under The Light Of Ignatian Spirituality, Llorenç Puig Puig Sj, Rosa Nomen, Luis A. Martínez

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This article proposes Ignatian Mentoring as a framework for enriching academic mentoring with insights from Ignatian spirituality. While mentoring traditionally supports professional and personal development, especially for early-career faculty, the Jesuit tradition offers a deeper, holistic perspective inspired by spiritual accompaniment practices such as those found in the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and the Spiritual Exercises. The framework is based on the mentoring program launched in 2021 by the International Association of Jesuit Engineering and Sciences Schools (IAJES), which connects faculty across a global network of more than 60 Schools. Based on two years of practical experience involving …

Students’ Experiences Using Peer Review To Affect Writing Self-Efficacy And Writing Performance In An Undergraduate Mass Communications Writing Course, Nina Morrison Brook

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to examine the impact of peer review on writing self-efficacy and writing performance in an undergraduate online writing for mass communications course. The study focused on two research questions: (1) How and to what extent does structured peer review affect undergraduate students’ writing self-efficacy in an online writing for mass communications course in a large public Southeastern university? and (2) How and to what extent does structured peer review affect undergraduate students’ writing performance in an online writing for mass communications course in a large public Southeastern university? This research used peer review …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of University Students With Lyme Disease: A Qualitative Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Rebekah A. Russell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative transcendental phenomenological study aimed to describe the lived experiences of students with persistent or reoccurring Lyme disease symptoms post-treatment within the context of higher education institutions. Guided by Nancy Schlossberg’s transition theory, the research sought to explore the challenges students encountered while experiencing lasting symptoms of Lyme disease post-treatment. The central research question driving the inquiry was: What are the lived experiences of students contending with persistent or reoccurring Lyme disease symptoms post-treatment while pursuing higher education? Employing a transcendental phenomenological method, the study utilized journal prompts, interviews, and two focus groups comprised of students who have navigated …

Centering Environmental Justice And Sustainability In Deij Values, Heather F. Clark, Ellie Perry

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

In this article we articulate a framework for understanding sustainability and environmental justice as part of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) values in higher education. Examining our campus’ vision and history, we illustrate how a commitment to environmental justice is part and parcel to supporting educational equity and social justice at a model urban university. This framework highlights how ignoring environmental concerns limits our collective potentially to support DEIJ goals, and how centering sustainability concerns can strengthen DEIJ efforts in higher education. We argue that achieving social and educational justice is only possible if environmental justice is also pursued.

"I Didn't Have To Change Who I Was To Listen": A Phenomenological Action Research Study Exploring College Students' Transformative Learning Through Dialogue And Bridgebuilding Initiatives As High-Impact Practices In Higher Education, Michael Malinowski

Theses & Dissertations

Bridgebuilding programs in higher education create rare spaces where students sit with tension, listen deeply, and engage meaningfully across lines of difference. This study examines how those experiences shape student transformation. Guided by Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, I conducted a qualitative phenomenological study to understand how participation in structured, skills-based bridgebuilding programs shapes students’ beliefs, assumptions, and sense of identity through their lived experiences. I interviewed fourteen students who participated in leadership programming centered on Dialogue Across Differences, and their narratives consistently reflect key phases of transformative learning. Students move through discomfort, reflect on prior assumptions, and apply new …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Leaders In U.S. Higher Education Institutions: Challenges And Opportunities, Jacqueline S. Haire

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women leaders in U.S. higher education institutions from the lens of Black feminist theory and intersectionality and to provide implications for HRD research and practice. Given the limited empirical research on Black women leaders in higher education and the existing gap in the literature regarding their experiences, this study aimed to understand the challenges and opportunities that Black women leaders encounter in U.S. higher education institutions.

Using a basic qualitative research design (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016), I conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 Black women leaders holding executive …

Strategic Planning Model In Higher Education Using Neutrosophic Z Numbers, Luis León Gómez, Hortencio Flores Flores, Adán Humberto Estela Estela, Manuel Cesar Vildoso Villegas, Juvita Dina Soto Hilario, Virgilio Vildoso Gonzales, Yessika Madelaine Abarca Arias

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

Strategic planning in higher education faces complex challenges due to the imprecise nature of decision-making criteria, the diversity of stakeholders involved, and the changing dynamics of academic environments. This study addresses the problem of how to model institutional planning processes that effectively incorporate the uncertainty, subjective assessments, and incomplete data characteristic of this context. While various approaches to decision-making in education exist, the current literature presents a significant limitation: the lack of methods that simultaneously integrate the vagueness of human perceptions, the inconsistency of institutional preferences, and the quantitative restrictions inherent to the university setting. To address this problem, we …

Forging The Future, Kenneth Benoit

Asian Management Insights

How AI is rewriting the rules of knowledge, expertise, and practice.

The Fault Line: Understanding Tension Between Industry And Higher Education Institutions In Sustained Partnerships, David Lawrence

Dissertations

This study investigates the dynamics that influence tensions in industry–higher education partnerships and identifies effective navigation factors in sustainable partnerships. Despite the increasing prevalence, such partnerships face high failure rates due to inherent tensions. This research explores how partners from industry and higher education institutions successfully navigate these tensions using a qualitative case study approach.

This investigation employed a case study design with a multi-case two-by-two holistic matrix and an interpretive, constructivist framework. Data collection involved 16 semi-structured interviews with key individuals from nine higher education institutions and five industry organizations spanning healthcare, technology, consulting, real estate development, and accounting …

University Leadership, Singapore Management University

Asian Management Insights

The future belongs to institutions that advance impact and prepare minds for lifelong learning. An interview with Dr Andrew Hamilton, President Emeritus of New York University and former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University.

Diversity Initiatives In Higher Education: Understanding The Experiences Of Black Males In Cuny’S Nyc Men Teach, Fatima Sherif

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This qualitative study examines the experiences of Black males in New York City Men Teach (NYCMT), a diversity initiative designed to increase the representation of Black male educators. Despite efforts, Black men remain underrepresented in education. Drawing from narrative-inquiry and guided by Critical Race theory and the Radical Care framework, this research explores how participants experience NYCMT and what their stories reveal about the effectiveness of diversity initiatives. Data from Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, revealing five key themes: community, financial benefits, mentoring, professional development, and challenges. Findings show that while NYCMT offers critical emotional, financial, and structural …

Deconstructing Professionalism: The Role Of The Dress Code, Klaire Brumbaugh, Lauren Wright-Jones

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Professionalism is a complex construct that is difficult to measure. Oftentimes in graduate training programs, adherence to a dress code is coupled with professionalism and professional behavior. This manuscript reviews dress codes in various graduate training programs. Strategies are provided for university faculty and administrators to lead their programs in developing culturally responsive practices by beginning to deconstruct dress code from the concept of professionalism.

Exploring Higher Education Shared Governance Constitutional Documents As Potential Culture Building Contributors To Friction Between Faculty And Administration Through A Qualitative Analysis Of Foundational Institution Documents, Lanna Monday Emmett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative research project investigates the role shared governance documents in higher education institutions play in communicating the guiding principles and expectations used to create, sustain, and challenge culture through a content analysis of foundational institutional documents. Colleges and universities face challenges driven by technology, globalization, the capitalization of education, and shifting expectations regarding diversity, equity, and sustainability. These changes require institutions to adapt their organizational models for more competitive decision-making while navigating evolving governance issues. In some instances, these changes have been cited as one cause for friction between institutional stakeholders, particularly faculty and administration. Previous studies have more …

Belonging Is Resistance: Illuminating The Power Of Women Of Color Mid-Level Administrators In Higher Education, Rachelle Ann Martinez

Dissertations

Resistance has long been a mechanism through which the dominant norms of society are challenged in the name of social justice. White supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and neoliberalism make it difficult for institutions of higher education to increase diversity, advance equity, and prioritize inclusion. Although these systems of domination adversely impact the belonging of all campus stakeholders, the experiences of mid-level administrators are relatively overlooked, and feeling undervalued and underappreciated is a top reason for many, especially women and people of color, who leave the profession altogether. This qualitative study utilized narrative inquiry to understand how dominant societal norms adversely impact the …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

Barriers Faced By College Sexual Violence Survivors Who Identify As A Racial And Gender Minority, Brittany A. Gordon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual violence is a significant issue in the US, and specifically on college campuses. Students who identify as a racial and gender minority have been found to be at increased risk. While research has examined the barriers to disclosure, reporting, or help-seeking among survivors within higher education who identify as a racial minority and those who identify as a gender minority, no qualitative studies have looked at the barriers faced by student survivors who identify as both a racial and gender minority. The purpose of this study was to understand the barriers faced by students who identify as a racial …

Contradictions In Policies And Practices: A Case Study Of Educational Opportunities For Transfer Students, Brystal Nevins

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mission statements are a representation of an organization’s identity and can serve as a guiding factor for the development of policies and practices. However, in a setting of higher education where population demographics can shift over time, it may be necessary for periodic policy evaluation and adjustments to occur. A significant portion of the California State Universities’ students are being excluded from participating in their education to the best of their potential and excluded in a way that does not align with the overall California State University (CSU) mission. Through structurating activity theory, contradictions within policy processes can be used …

Effects Of Project Rebound On Reducing Recidivism, Lisa A. Ravega, Ashley Van Mouwerik

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Recidivism is the tendency of justice-involved individuals to relapse into criminal behavior and remains a critical challenge within the justice system. Objective: This proposed research aims to assess the effectiveness of campus-based programs to assist individuals with enrollment and success in higher education, specifically Project Rebound. Project Rebound is a campus-based re-entry program that assists justice-involved college students in obtaining their educational goals through such support as enrollment and counseling services. Methods: The proposed research suggests utilizing a quasi-experimental non-equivalent comparison group design to examine the impact of Project Rebound on reducing recidivism among justice-involved college students at California …

Teaching Gender Equality: Shifting The Focus From Aspiration To Practice, Rawia Ahmed, M. Fernanda Garcia, Imran Taj, Laila Al Reqabi

All Works

Purpose: This study aims to inform management educators and students about how to identify, analyze, and sustain gender equality as a business practice in organizational settings. Design, Methodology, and Approach: Guided by practice theory and social learning theory we: a) offer a theoretical framework to help students recognize gender equality practices in real-world contexts, and b) provide educators with an applied example and pedagogical tool for teaching students how to identify and analyze gender equality practices in written and audio texts. We draw from two theoretical templates to analyze excerpts related to gender equality practices taken from an interview with …

Unschoolers In Higher Education: A Narrative Case Study Of Unschoolers’ Sense Of Belonging At University, Melissa Marie Carlson

Dissertations

Approximately 20% of families engaged in homeschooling have selected unschooling as their educational approach, with estimates suggesting this number may be even higher (Vesneski et al., 2022). Unschooling emphasizes the establishment of an environment where children can autonomously direct their learning by exploring their interests, unencumbered by traditional educational milestones or specific schedules (Arnall, 2018; Riley, 2020; Riley & Gray, 2015). Despite increasing public acceptance and recognition, research on the outcomes for unschoolers—particularly those pursuing higher education—is limited (Riley, 2020). The purpose of this study was to explore the importance of supporting unschoolers after they have matriculated, specifically fostering sense …

High Ability, Hidden Gaps: Building Quantitative Reasoning Amongst Singapore’S Mathematically Literate, Rebecca M. Nichols

Numeracy

In Singapore, where primary and secondary students routinely top standardized worldwide mathematics examinations, a paradox emerges: when reaching university, many struggle to apply their skills critically in real-world contexts. This commentary examines the challenges and strategies involved in teaching quantitative reasoning (QR) to mathematically literate students in a top-ranking Singaporean university. While these students arrive well-trained in computation and procedural problem-solving, they often lack confidence and flexibility in ambiguous, data-driven decision-making. This article argues that fostering QR education is crucial not only for Singapore but for education globally, as QR skills underpin evidence-based reasoning within and across disciplines. Such an …

Internationalization And Its Challenges At U.S. Regional Comprehensive Universities: The Transformational Leadership Role Of Senior International Officers, Ibrahima F. Yaro Ed.D., Aaron W. Hughey Ed.D.

Leadership Faculty Publications

This interpretive phenomenological analysis investigated the role of transformational leadership and the challenges that senior international officers (SIOs) face in internationalizing regional comprehensive universities (RCUs) in the United States. Twelve in- depth interviews were conducted with SIOs from five regions: the West, Midwest, South, Southeast, and Northwest. The findings indicate that the transformational leadership approach is the primary leadership style utilized by senior international officers for the effective and successful internationalization of their institutions. The findings highlight a wide range of challenges that a senior international officer may encounter at a regional comprehensive university in the United States. The study …

Dismantling Inequities In The Faculty Evaluation System, Mary Petron, William Blackwell, Abbie Strunc

School Leadership Review

Qualifying for merit is a competitive and contentious process in higher education. Many merit structures are based upon traditional faculty evaluation systems which do not reflect the changing nature of higher education and thus, yield inequitable results. This article presents the case of a large department at a mid-size regional university that revised the system for merit and faculty evaluation to recognize undergraduate contributions and more equitably score the scholarship, service, and teaching of faculty members in the department. The case describes the relevant literature, the university and departmental context, the process for designing the new evaluation system, and lessons …

The Challenges Facing Academic Freedom And Free Speech, Keith E. Whittington

Catholic University Law Review

There are growing challenges to free speech and academic freedom on American college campuses. There is pressure from both the political left and the political right to suppress controversial speech on campus, and there are calls to restrict speech that come both from members of the campus community and from those beyond the campus gates. In this difficult environment, it is essential that academics both understand the principles of academic freedom and campus free speech and work to advocate for them.

Curriculum Internationalization: Aligned With Equity And Social Justice? Considerations And Perceptions From International Graduate Students In Canada, Siyin Liang

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Institutionalizing Normality: Disability, Productivity, And Higher Education, Ashley Dirzis

Student Theses

This thesis examines how capitalism and neuronormative domination shape the structures and values of academic institutions, affecting faculty, students, and research subjects alike. By privileging productivity, conformity, and efficiency in the pursuit of income, universities often marginalize those who diverge from normative standards of thinking, behavior, and embodiment, particularly disabled individuals. Drawing on Marta Russell’s Disability and Capitalism and the shaping of disability by capitalist systems, Robert Chapman’s notion of the "Empire of Normality" and Jay Dolmage’s concept of the retrofit from Academic Ableism, this paper analyzes how academia reinforces ableist norms. It explores the realities and barriers that …

Deadtime In The Vale Of Soul-Making: Hermeneutics, Humanization, And Higher Education In Prison, Dale Michael Brown

Dissertations

This body of work examines higher education with and for justice-involved people from a descriptive, theoretical, and empirical perspective—pulling together multiple disciplines and employing different methodologies from the humanities and social sciences. The investigation is written from a philosophical perspective via educational foundations and a social science perspective via qualitative research, including an examination of carceral higher education’s connections to teaching and experiential learning. This approach reflects the interdisciplinary nature of both the author’s degree program and the topic itself, which (as a field of academic inquiry) is part theoretical and part empirical (both qualitative and quantitative). The papers in …

Navigating Generative Ai In Honors, Anne Dotter, Victoria M. Bryan

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Considering the historical significance and pedagogical impact of educational technologies on teaching and learning in higher education, authors suggest that generative artificial intelligence creates more questions than solutions for honors practitioners. What might meaningful AI literacy look like throughout a multidisciplinary honors curriculum? To what extent will generative AI level educational inequities, or create new ones? If policing AI misuse is ultimately a losing battle, how might this understanding reshape assignment design, assessment practices, and even our definitions of academic dishonesty? Drawing on examples in current teaching practice, authors observe the two sides of generative AI—one holding powerful possibilities for …