Digital Commons Network^™

Integrating Behavioral Research Findings With A Liberal Arts Paradigm, Jonathan Peterson

LSU Master's Theses

This paper explores the role of behavioral research in understanding the complexity and relevance of creativity. A brief history of the liberal arts and its current application is followed by a discussion of the importance of variability in generating novel and diverse responses, challenging the notion that creativity is solely a product of innate talent. The effects of reinforcement on variability, and how it relates to a complex relationship between reinforcement and the probability of variable responding leads to a discussion of how the combination of previously trained behaviors can lead to creative problem-solving, emphasizing the role of combinatory behavior …

Using Active Student Responding And Competition Via Kahoot! To Improve Student Academic Engagement At College Level, Brittany Pearson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Active student responding (ASR) is an effective intervention used in schools to improve student engagement and academic performance. Among the various ASR modalities, online applications have received much more attention than low-tech ASR modalities due to the widespread use of smartphones and the availability of mobile applications. One totable online application is Kahoot!, which offers a range of interactive features. Considering the limited existing research on using ASR at the college level, particularly, using Kahoot!, this study examined the use of Kahoot! to improve academic engagement in college students. The study was conducted with one undergraduate class in applied behavior …

The Role Of Faculty In Durable Skills Development In Higher Education, James Hutson, Mark Valenzuela, Shannon Wright, Elizabeth Melick

Faculty Scholarship

Although Emsi and other market researchers have found that employers desire durable skills (formerly known as “soft skills”) in new hires, there have been few studies dedicated to identifying how faculty perceptions of skill development differ in degree and by area, and how that might impact how such skills are embedded in classroom instruction. This study proposes to investigate the perceptions of faculty from different academic backgrounds and how their disciplines and experiences may contribute to their perceived role in curricular, cocurricular or extracurricular offerings that support durable skill development. Results from the study demonstrate the differing perspectives and expectations …

Perspectives On The Impact, Mission And Purpose Of The Business School, Howard Thomas

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The business school has been an important success story in the evolution of the modern university. The concept of how the impact, mission, purpose, and value of a management school should be formulated is often delegated to the dean, faculty and advisory committees in most schools. The British Academy has contributed significantly to the emerging debate on the purpose of a business school by both examining the concept of a purposeful business school in business and management education and, more recently, investigating what, and how, business schools should teach, grow and develop. Greater attention has been directed towards developing more …

Generative Artificial Intelligence: University Student Awareness, Experience, And Confidence In Use Across Disciplines, Andrew Kelly, Miriam Sullivan, Katrina Strampel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The global higher education sector has been significantly disrupted by the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, especially in relation to its implications for assessment. However, few studies to date have explored student perspectives on these tools. This article reports on one of the first large-scale quantitative studies of student views on generative artificial intelligence at an Australian university (n = 1,135). When the survey was conducted, most students had low knowledge, experience, and confidence in using these tools. These results varied across disciplines and across some student sub-groups, such as mature-age students and international students. Confidence …

Students’ Knowledge Of And Attitudes Toward Dairy Production: A Survey Methodology Report, Heather Akin, Babatope Akinyemi, Julia Mcquillan, Tami Brown-Brandl

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

This report presents findings from a pilot survey conducted among undergraduate and graduate students (N = 410) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln about students’ perspectives on technology usage, consumption, and sustainability in dairy production systems. An interdisciplinary research team developed the survey instrument and report. The main purpose of this pilot study was to create and administer survey items to support further research on experiential education and outreach opportunities related to robotics in small-scale dairy production and rural economic development. Descriptive findings indicated that most students had some familiarity with dairy production and the nutritional aspects of dairy products …

Accessibility Of Blended Learning For Special Needs Students In Higher Education, Reem Yaseen Al-Sulaimani

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the experiences of visually impaired students and their faculty members with blended learning at University X. Qualitative research methods were employed to gather data through interviews with six visually impaired students and six professors. The study analyzed the data using two frameworks, Universal Design of Learning (UDL) and Community of Inquiry (CoI). The findings indicate that the course design, personalization of accessibility, social inclusion and classroom dynamics, university support and resources, and technology accessibility and digital literacy have an impact on the experiences of visually impaired students and their professors. The study provides recommendations for improving the …

Teachers’ Perspectives In Higher Education On Using Educational Technology During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Observations For Ghana, India, And Serbia, Nikola Koruga, Rohit Nainwal, Angela Kyerewaa Ayisi-Addo

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of this research was to understand the significant changes and challenges regarding teaching experiences during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in three universities, one each in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The study provides information on how teachers adapted to online teaching under COVID-19 conditions.

Methods: We employed a descriptive phenomenology approach and used an online survey with open-ended questions to collect the data. Braun and Clarke’s six steps of thematic analysis based on the traditions of descriptive phenomenology were employed to analyze the data.

Results: The teachers’ adaptive mechanisms to the COVID-19 crisis could be described through the …

International Comparison Of Tertiary Education Systems, Ian Teo, Michelle Hsien, Sarah Buckley, Anita Roberts

Higher education research

This report is designed to review high performing tertiary systems internationally (Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, Korea, Singapore and New Zealand) and compare these systems to Australia. This review highlights best practice in international tertiary education systems as well as system weaknesses by considering the following criteria for each country of interest: Tertiary education system performance, including participation, attainment, labour market outcomes, and public and private returns for tertiary education; The national context, including the shape of the broader education system, and relevant demographic and economic characteristics; The structure of tertiary education systems, including linkages between higher education and vocational …

Internationalization Strategies In Chinese Higher Education Institutions: Examining A Selection Of Award-Winning Four-Year Universities, Yuqian Zhang

Dissertations

China is building the fastest growing higher education system, in quality as well as in quantity, in the world and emphasizes internationalization in education policy as a guide to building its own capacity and developing native talent. With regained self-confidence and geopolitical ambition, China is also emerging as a new potential higher education leader along its New Silk Road. The purpose of this study was to explore internationalization strategies employed at select, award-winning Chinese four-year universities, specifically those awarded the National Teaching Achievement Award, the highest national award in teaching and education in the country, for their internationalization efforts.

This …

Perspectives On The Impact, Mission And Purpose Of The Business School, Eric Cornuel, Howard Thomas, Matthew Wood

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This book explores the impact and purpose of the business school, and addresses some of the most important questions facing management education today. The diverse perspectives brought together by the EFMD in this volume examine a number of common questions, themes and challenges. These include: whether business schools should be viewed as schools of management, given the complexity of the business environment; what is the positive impact of business school research, and the balance of relevant, practical impact and academic rigour; the strategic evolution of business schools and how they may evolve in a more purposeful direction; and why business …

Exploring The Meaning Of Doctoral Completion For African American Females Who Have Attended A Predominantly White Institution, Devara D. Brock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As evidenced by the average doctoral student turnover rate, pursuing a doctorate degree may be exceedingly difficult. African American women (AAW) in particular, tend to face unique challenges in higher education due to their gender and racial identities, yet because of their perceived success in comparison to their Black male counterparts, their doctoral experiences at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) frequently go overlooked. Furthermore, considering the impact that trauma can have on higher education success, it is crucial to better understand the intricate nature of the doctoral experiences of AAW to determine how to further facilitate their success. To add to …

Cripping And Deafening Covid-19- Re-Framing A Pandemic In Higher Education, Wendy S. Harbour

International Journal on Responsibility

This article looks at ways institutions of higher education (IHEs) can use the models of disability, disability studies, and Deaf studies to “crip” and “Deafen” their response to COVID-19. A review of previous epidemics and pandemics, including yellow fever, the 1918 influenza epidemic, polio, and HIV/AIDS disease, disability, and Deafness. Health services, counseling centers, and disability resource centers expanded over time, and IHEs still rely heavily on them for health, disability, and Deaf concerns. By cripping and Deafening COVID-19 responses, higher education can use a more holistic view of the pandemic, making illness, mental health, disability and Deafness the responsibility …

Chapter 1- Mentoring Origins And Evolution, Bob Garvey

Making Connections

This chapter is in nine parts. The first explores the origins and meanings of mentoring from the Ancient Greek to modern times in different parts of the world. The second section discusses the similarities and differences between mentoring and other developmental relationships.

The third part explores the difficulties in defining mentoring. As an alternative to a definition, the fourth part looks at the dimensions of mentoring and the fifth part explores how the dimensions could be applied in practice. Following this, the sixth section considers a range of mentoring arrangements found in academia and uses the dimensions framework to develop …

Continuing Education At Purdue University, 1975–2019, Thomas Robertson, Michael Eddy

Continuing Education

Continuing Education at Purdue University, 1975–2019 is intended to provide a follow-up to the monograph written by Dr. Frank K. Burrin after his retirement as director of Purdue Continuing Education in 1984, Continuing Education at Purdue University: The First Hundred Years (1874–1974). Burrin became ill shortly after his retirement, and he was not able to complete his project. His notes were later compiled, edited, and published by Elizabeth Boyd Thompson.

This monograph presents forty-five years of the history of Continuing Education and Conferences at Purdue under the leadership of eight deans and directors.

Policy Over Publicity: Evaluating Andrew Cuomo's 'Outrageoulsy Ambitious And Irrefutably Smart' Education Spending Dilemma, Colin Mckillop

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

For low- and middle-income high school students in New York, the prospect of attending college, especially on a full-time basis, has become increasingly bleak in recent years; tuition and other attendance costs continue to grow without a rise in education quality, “sixty-one percent of students graduate with college debt,” and debt held at graduation is increasing at “almost double the rate of inflation.” Thus, such students and their families were likely ecstatic on January 3, 2017, when Andrew Cuomo, the former Governor of New York, held an aggrandizing press conference to highlight the “1st signature proposal of his 2017 …

The Erasure Of Rural West Texas Voices In Higher Education Institutions An Autoethnographic Study Of Minoritized Students Of West Texas In Their Journey To Obtain Success In Higher Education Institutions, David Whaley-Weems Sr

All Dissertations

I was once told there is a person in the world who has locked within his or her mind the framework for the cure for cancer or even the ability to create an energy model that will revolutionize how society consumes natural resources. Now imagine if I told you I have seen that person alive and well working as an oil well driller on a rig in Mentone, Texas. The first question most people would ask is, “Why is the person drilling in the middle of nowhere Texas instead of impacting the world by way of displaying his or her …

Understanding The Relationship Between Organic Chemistry Misconceptions And Students’ Chemistry Self-Efficacy In Higher Education Organic Chemistry Courses, Lauren A. Dudley

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Organic chemistry is accepted as a crucial part of science higher education funneling students into many career opportunities such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical industries. Students attempting organic chemistry courses in higher education are among a plethora of majors including biology, chemistry, health science, and engineering. However, organic chemistry as a course has stayed fairly stagnant for the past 50 years. Students in this course typically resort to rote-memorization and often regard the course itself as insurmountable. To answer the decreasing retention rates seen across the United States, the research revolving around organic chemistry knowledge and teaching methodologies has increased …

Summer Bridge Programs In National And Local Context, Osvaldo Palma Vargas

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Research suggests that summer bridge programs (SBPs) meet their intended goal, which is to improve first-generation students’ academic outcomes as defined by first-year retention and GPA. However, we know little about whether, and if so, how SBPs optimize the implementation of known best practices and how they are perceived by participating students. This thesis compares evidence regarding key practices of SBPs at a selection of Land Grant institutions, to identify commonalities and differences. In addition, this thesis compares the key practices of these peer institutions with a local SBP in place at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, known as the Nebraska …

The Pacifican May 2023, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.

A Mixed Method Approach To Explore Lecturers' Pedagogical And Content Knowledge, Students' Perspectives And Learning Experiences In Mathematics For Social Science Course, Julio Hector Solis

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research indicates that institutions and teachers' pedagogical and content knowledge are essential to student learning and achievement. Nevertheless, teachers' knowledge and practices have been researched primarily in K-12th grades. Therefore, there is a gap in understanding teaching practices in higher education. Moreover, research has forgotten about exploring math classes for non-STEM majors. With this in mind, this research investigates how students perceive math professors' pedagogical and content knowledge and their effect on students' learning experiences in the context of mathematics for social science classes. To achieve this, this study takes a mixed-methods approach in its use of an observation protocol, …

Digital Capital And Belonging In Universities: Quantifying Social Inequalities In The Philippines, Wilfred Luis Clamor, Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

This study examines social inequalities in Philippine universities that were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative approach using a national sample of 677 university students was utilized to measure the mediating role of digital capital on social inequalities associated with belonging to academic spaces. For the purpose of determining direct and indirect impacts, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed. Sociodemographic (i.e., gender, age, type of residence, and family income) and educational (i.e., type of university, year in the university, and excellence criterion) characteristics were the direct predictors that were examined as exogenous variables for both digital capital and belonging. …

Historically Black Colleges And University Graduates Transitioning To Predominantly White Institutions For Graduate School: A Phenomenological Study, Jessica Trenae Maxwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of recent Black, Historically Black Colleges and University graduates who chose to transition to a PWI for graduate school. The theory guiding this study was the self-determination theory of motivation developed by psychologists Ryan and Deci. This theory explains how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and the fulfillment of autonomy, competence, and relatedness impacts human functioning and decisions. This theory was used to determine what motivational factors influenced Black, HBCU graduates to transition to PWIs for graduate school. The research design was a phenomenological approach exploring the perceptions of a …

Exploring Academic Librarians' Lack Of Experiential Learning In Teaching College Freshmen Information Literacy Skills: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Pearl Gloria Adzei-Stonnes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore academic librarians’ lack of experiential learning in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills in four-year higher education institutions across the United States. The central research question was – “what challenges do academic librarians experience in teaching information literacy skills?” – Twelve academic librarians who were involved in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills were examined on the phenomenon. Three different data collection methods used were questionnaire, letter writing and interviews. The theory that guided this study was Kolb’s experiential learning. Kolb’s experiential learning theory emphasized the process of learning in …

Role Of Service Quality Factors In Word Of Mouth Through Student Satisfaction, Rizwana Rasheed, Aamir Rashid

Publications and Research

Purpose

Service quality in academics is imperatively crucial. Therefore, the purpose of the current research is to examine the effect of academic service quality factors in higher education institutions which mainly focuses on students' satisfaction and the extent of recommending the same institution to other students.

Design/methodology/approach

This research evaluated the effect of service quality on student satisfaction and word of mouth (WOM). Data were collected from 200 respondents from various business schools, and hypotheses were tested through a quantitative method using partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with the help of SmartPLS to validate the measurement model.

Findings

The …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 1, Spring 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

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

The Spring 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to student self-reflection, participatory learning, and returning to the in-person learning following the COVID-19 pandemic. The first article takes a critical approach to understanding pedagogy with adult learners by involving students in the creation of course syllabi as a way to challenge ideologies related the roles of instructor and students. The second article blends research and narrative to explore how the experiences of …

Transforming Leadership Pathways For Humanities Professionals In Higher Education, Roze Hentschell, Catherine E. Thomas

Navigating Careers in Higher Education Series

Transforming Leadership Pathways for Humanities Professionals in Higher Education includes thirteen essays from a variety of contributors investigating how humanities professionals grapple with the opportunities and challenges of leadership positions. Written by insiders sharing their lived experience, this collection provides an authentic look at the multiple roles humanities specialists play, as well as offers strategies for professional growth, sustenance, and satisfaction. The collection also considers the relationship between disciplinary areas of study, academic training, and the valuable skill sets and habits of mind that serve higher education leaders.

While Transforming Leadership Pathways emphasizes that a leadership route in higher education …

Transition To Distance Learning: Student Experience And Communication During The Covid-19 Pandemic In The United Arab Emirates, Soumaya Abdellatif, Aizhan Shomotova, Safouane Trabelsi, Salwa Husain, Najeh Alsalhi, Mohamed Eltahir

All Works

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 prompted higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to switch to online learning for the safety of their citizens. The main purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between four indicators of digital learning experience and the intensity of student socio-pedagogical communication after the transition to distance learning. The data were collected from Ajman University, a private university in the UAE, during the spring of 2020. The sample consisted of 381 students who were surveyed using an online survey tool or email. First, this study found that the majority of students …

Understanding The Participation Gap At Predominantly White Institutions: Examining Institutional Practices That Prevent Black Students From Studying Abroad, Jamil Funnah

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Study abroad is an opportunity students in higher education increasingly participate in (Institute of International Education, 2022). However college Students of Color, particularly Black students, participate in study abroad at disproportionately lower rates when compared to their white peers. This case study seeks to understand the multiple influences that inform lower levels of Black student participation in study abroad. Using Gusa’s (2010) white institutional presence framework, I examine multiple data points within a singular site including institutional messaging, procedures, and students interviews. Findings showed that multiple reasons impact Black students' decisions to study abroad. Understanding the findings can lead to …

Shifting Gears In A Pandemic: The Impact Of Online Academic Support For International And Domestic Students, Laura Jacobi

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.