Education Commons^™

Assessing The Readiness Of Higher Education To Instruct And Support Students With Asperger's Disorder, L. Marc Ellison

Marc Ellison

This study explores the current ability of higher education to effectively educate and support college students diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder. As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders increased dramatically during the past decade, it is estimated that tens of thousands of individuals diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder are preparing to enter colleges and universities in the United States. Emerging research details specific service systems and resources necessary to effectively educate and support college students with Asperger’s Disorder. Public, four-year institutions of higher education were surveyed (N=578) to assess their current readiness to use identified best-practice methods of support with this student …

Assessing The Readiness Of Higher Education To Instruct And Support Students With Asperger's Disorder, L. Marc Ellison

Marc Ellison

This study explores the current ability of higher education to effectively educate and support college students diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder. As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders increased dramatically during the past decade, it is estimated that tens of thousands of individuals diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder are preparing to enter colleges and universities in the United States. Emerging research details specific service systems and resources necessary to effectively educate and support college students with Asperger’s Disorder. Public, four-year institutions of higher education were surveyed (N=578) to assess their current readiness to use identified best-practice methods of support with this student …

Using Data To Evaluate Performance And Inform Decisions, Lynn D. Akey

Lynn D. Akey, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Designing An Outcomes-Based Student Affairs Assessment Program, Lynn D. Akey, Rene Hersrud

Lynn D. Akey, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

A Strategic Priority Funding Process: Advancing Big Ideas, Lynn D. Akey, Pat Nelson

Lynn D. Akey, Ph.D.

This session will showcase a strategic priority funding process used to make organizational investments that advance big ideas, priorities and innovation. The speakers will share how the core components of the process were developed, implemented, and improved to increase results.

A Strategic Funding Process: Emphasizing Shared Governance And Transparency, Lynn D. Akey

Lynn D. Akey, Ph.D.

The Purpose

Provide an opportunity and seed funding for innovative ideas to emerge from the campus community in support of the Institution’s strategic priorities.

The Process

The Strategic Priority Funding process that exists at Minnesota State University, Mankato today has roots extending back to pre-2004 as an innovation fund.

• Pre 2004 – An Innovation Fund
• 2004 – Strategic Priority Funding – Administrative
• 2006 – Strategic Priority Funding – Administrative/Planning Sub-Meet
• 2011 – Strategic Priority Funding – Joint Open Process

The process has primarily changed in ways that reflect greater shared governance, transparency, and assessment of results.

The Results

During the …

Roundtable – Teaching Human Rights: Challenges And Best Practices, Shayna Plaut, Kristi Kenyon, Joel Pruce, William Simmons

Joel Pruce

Over the past 20 years, courses addressing human rights have grown dramatically at both the undergraduate and graduate levels worldwide. Many of these courses are housed in specific disciplines, focus on specific issues, and require practical experience in the form of internships/practicums. Amid this growth there is a need to reflect on teaching human rights including the challenges, fears, and best practices. Recognizing that education takes place inside and outside a classroom, this roundtable brings together scholars teaching human rights in a variety of settings to examine the current state of university human rights education. This includes a discussion of …

The Inclusion Of Self-Assessment In Merit Evaluation, Kenneth L. Rigler, Lorie Cook-Benjamin, Regi Wieland, Carrie Tholstrup

Kenneth Rigler

The purpose of this survey study was to collect faculty perceptions toward changes made to the faculty merit evaluation process in a college of education at a state comprehensive university. The changes in the evaluation occurred over a two-year period, where a formative rubric and faculty self-assessment were incorporated into the merit instrument. The sampling frame for the study included the college of education faculty members at the university. The data for the study were collected in two different phases using a field-tested online survey that was created to collect the faculty perceptions of the newly developed instrument and process …

Support For Higher Education: Perceptions Of Selected University Administrators And Legislators In Tennessee, Deidre Y. Davies, Donald W. Good

Donald W. Good

This quantitative study examined the perceptions of selected university administrators and legislators concerning levels of support for Tennessee public higher education. The purpose of the study was to gain a greater understanding among the various constituents as to the needs and restraints facing higher education funding. The population targeted for this study was comprised of 132 members of the Tennessee General Assembly, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), the Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), the President of the University of Tennessee System, and 36 Chief Administrators at nine state-supported universities. The principal investigator …

Organizational Communication: Perceptions Of Staff Members' Level Of Communication Satisfaction And Job Satisfaction, Priti Sharma, James Lampley, Donald W. Good

Donald W. Good

The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces. This study was also designed to test the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction by analyzing the significance of different dimensions of Communication Satisfaction with the view that satisfaction is multifaceted.

The results of the study indicated that gender differences and the number of years in service do not seem to make a significant difference in the level of satisfaction among staff members, but the level …

Support For Higher Education: Perceptions Of Selected University Administrators And Legislators In Tennessee, Deidre L. Yowell, Donald W. Good

Donald W. Good

Excerpt:This quantitative study examined the perceptions of selected university administrators and legislators concerning levels of support for Tennessee public higher education.

Shared Governance: A Comparison Of Perceptions And Implementation Between American And Chinese Higher Education Institutions, Dianyu Zhang, James Lampley, Donald W. Good

Donald W. Good

The purpose of this study was to assess the status of institutional stakeholders’ perceptions and application of shared governance on an American higher education campus and a counterpart in China and determine if there were differences among the groups of stakeholders both within and between the institutions. Significant differences were found among the four categories of participants at the Chinese institution. For the General Acceptance dimension of the Perceptions of Shared Governance Inventory (PSGI) the Chinese staff members reported significantly higher scores than all the other three categories. For the Implementation dimension, staff members and the students scored significantly higher …

Analyzing The Effect Of Individual Factors And Organizational Context On Faculty Participation In Online Teaching, Deborah F. Miller

Deb Miller

This quantitative study analyzed the influence of individual factors and institutional context on faculty participation in online teaching at public higher education institutions in the United States. Through an ex post facto design, cause and effect relationships were explored using statistical analysis of a large national data set. Variables in the data set directly related to the areas of interest in this study included interest in teaching, student-centered pedagogy, autonomy and control, instructional support, and institutional climate. Factors related to interest in teaching and institutional reward were statistically significant (p

Working Students’ Perceptions Of Paying For College: Understanding The Connections Between Financial Aid And Work, Mary Ziskin, Mary Ann Fischer, Vasti Torres, Beth Pellicciotti, Jacquelyn Player-Sanders

Mary B. Ziskin

For many students at urban commuter colleges, the process of financial aid is unknown or mysterious; and so they work—often many hours a week—to pay expenses that financial aid might have covered. Missteps, unforeseen events, and limited resources can have severe consequences for the academic progress of these students. The broader study, of which this paper is a part, represents an effort to explore and describe students’ college-going, working, family responsibilities, and academic success at three commuter institutions in a metropolitan region in the Midwest. The encompassing project aims to introduce new qualitative data and situated description into the study …

Retention And Success Of Underrepresented Minorities In Stem At University Of Massachusetts Boston: A Pilot Study Of The Impact Of Freshman Success Communities, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Alvine Sangang, Liliana Mickle

Michael P. Johnson

Today’s college graduates are facing a complex world in which the demand for a sophisticated skill set is ever increasing; this is even more salient in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Therefore, the success of students majoring in STEM appears critical for meeting the market demand for such degrees. Unfortunately, current rates of success in STEM suggest that there are a number of challenges impeding STEM major completion, particularly for underrepresented minorities. In the academic year 2011, the share of underrepresented minorities (URM) receiving STEM degrees in the University of Massachusetts system was 8.7%. In the 15- …

How To Ignite Excitement For The Development Of A Transformational Qep In A Distributed University, Aaron D. Clevenger, Kelly W. George, Jayathi S. Raghavan

Kelly Whealan George

No abstract provided.

How To Ignite Excitement For The Development Of A Transformational Qep In A Distributed University, Aaron D. Clevenger, Kelly W. George, Jayathi S. Raghavan

Aaron D. Clevenger

No abstract provided.

Numbers Are Not Enough: Women In Higher Education In The 21st Century, Sherry H. Penney, Jennifer Brown, Laura Mcphie Oliveria

Sherry Penney

Women are now the majority of students in institutions of higher education in the United States, and in many ways women as students and faculty have seen significant progress. But numbers do not tell the whole story. Subtle forms of discrimination continue to exist, and the higher up the pyramid you go, the fewer women are to be found, whether among tenured faculty, as presidents and provosts or as board members and board chairs. Many steps can be taken to improve the situation. Some institutions are recognizing that. We note some positive changes and discuss areas where improvement is needed. …

Why Not A Fifty-Fifty Goal? Increasing Female Leadership In Higher Education, Sherry H. Penney, Nancy Kelly

Sherry Penney

One of the key factors determining the economic status and success of women is their level of education. Women have been turning to education in ever increasing numbers, and they now comprise the majority of students in our institutions of higher education. Yet women hold only 10 percent of the most senior positions — college and university presidencies. Clearly if institutions are to be responsive to the needs of all students, that percentage must change. Those who make up the ranks of this elite achieved their professional standing by overcoming inequities that linger in the academy even as we enter …

Invisibly At Risk: Low-Income Students In A Middle And Upper-Class World, Jennifer O. Duffy

Jennifer O'Connor Duffy

Women's studies programs, multicultural centers, and organizations to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students are campus fixtures. Few now question diversity's contribution to the education of all students. Jennifer Duffy suggests that it's time to acknowledge, support, and celebrate one more form of diversity that is mostly hidden: social class.

Academic Dishonesty Among International Students In Higher Education, Krishna Bista

Krishna Bista

Causal Effects Of Single-Sex Schools On College Entrance Exams And College Attendance: Random Assignment In Seoul High Schools, Hyunjoon Park, Jere R. Behrman, Jaesung Choi

Hyunjoon Park

Despite the voluminous literature on the potentials of single-sex schools, there is no consensus on the effects of single-sex schools because of student selection of school types. We exploit a unique feature of schooling in Seoul, the random assignment of students into single-sex versus coeducational high schools, to assess causal effects of single-sex schools on college entrance exam scores and college attendance. Our validation of the random assignment shows comparable socioeconomic backgrounds and prior academic achievement of students attending single-sex schools and coeducational schools, which increases the credibility of our causal estimates of single-sex school effects. Attending all-boys schools or …

Finding Congruence, Finding Meaning: Value Intersections And Transforming Relationships Among Faculty And Staff At A Religious College, Christy M. Craft, Alyssa N. Bryant

Christy Moran Craft

This case study explored how faculty and staff derived meaning from their work within a religious college environment. The findings suggest that the meaning-making process was fostered by connection. Many staff and faculty found meaning in their work as they experienced correspondence between work and personal values, the mission and values of the institution, and/or global democratic values. Furthermore, transforming relationships that were personally affirming and enabled faculty and staff to make a difference and observe transformation in others' lives were instrumental in providing a conduit for meaningful connection.

Organizational Values, Social Responsibility, And Corporate Citizenship: The Case Of Nevada State College, Grace S. Thomson

Dr. Grace S. Thomson

Organizational Values, Social Responsibility, and Corporate Citizenship Organizations contribute more than products and services to the society. The generation of jobs, creation of wealth and satisfaction of needs are only a portion of the influence that organizations have in a community. Likewise, organizations are increasingly engaging in social responsible initiatives to respond to the concerns of their various stakeholders (Aguilera, Rupp, Williams, & Ganapathi, 2007). Organizations with a genuine interest for social responsibility and citizenship possess value systems that articulate and integrate these social motives into their corporate strategy (Graber & Kilpatrick, 2008). Higher education institutions in the United States …

What Would Vincent Do? Vincentian Higher Education And Poverty Reduction, Marco Tavanti, Craig Mousin

Marco Tavanti

The worldwide Vincentian major higher education institutions have best practices and pedagogical innovative strategies for linking their educational mission with poverty alleviation. This edited volume includes experiences from DePaul University, St. John;s University, Niagara University, Adamson University, Santa Isabelle University and All Hallows College.

What Would Vincent Do? Vincentian Higher Education And Poverty Reduction, Marco Tavanti, Craig Mousin

Craig B. Mousin

The worldwide Vincentian major higher education institutions have best practices and pedagogical innovative strategies for linking their educational mission with poverty alleviation. This edited volume includes experiences from DePaul University, St. John;s University, Niagara University, Adamson University, Santa Isabelle University and All Hallows College.

The Limits Of University Autonomy: Power And Politics At The Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México, Imanol Ordorika

Imanol Ordorika

The nature and extent of institutional autonomy at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) has been a matter of contention between academics, policy makers and university members for many years. Opinions about governmental influence over the university in Mexico range from absolute autonomy to absolute control. Few of them, however, are founded on research on university-government relations. Most studies of univer- sity autonomy in Mexico are based on classical definitions and pluralist political perspectives that limit a thorough understanding of this relation between the University and the government in the context of an authoritarian State. This article provides an …