The Internationalization Of The Student Body At Oceans College, Canada – An Appreciative Inquiry And Shared Leadership Approach To Change, Ian H. Macleod

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses a problem of practice (PoP) at Oceans College (a pseudonym), a multilocation, panprovincial community college. Oceans College currently focuses on recruiting, admitting, and graduating domestic, in-province students. The number of international students, however, is growing. Currently there are no formal processes at the College for international students, unlike at the other postsecondary institutions in the province which actively recruit and enroll international students. The PoP is the lack of readiness at Oceans College to cope with the significant enrollment of international students. Different leadership theories were examined to develop this OIP, and appreciative inquiry …

Students’ Safety During School Field Trips: Key Educational Stakeholders’ Responsibilities And The Role Of Leadership, Nanaishetu Olabisi Dako

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

School safety is assumed to be a priority for stakeholders in schools across Canada. School processes, activities, and successful learning can only be valuable when students feel safe and protected (Hernandez, 2010). The Problem of Practice (PoP) addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explored the role of leadership in improving key stakeholders’ mode of compliance with school excursion policies that can ensure students’ physical and psychological safety during field trips in Caring Alternative High School (CAHS), an anonymized school in Ontario.

This OIP integrated transformational and inclusive leadership as key approaches used to promote the inclusion of stakeholders’ …

The Flipped Spanish Classroom: Student Engagement, Satisfaction And Autonomy, Ana Garcia-Allen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation investigates how the implementation of a pedagogical innovation in the foreign language (FL) classroom enabled me to explore student engagement, autonomy and course satisfaction and understand preferred practices for FL development. The ‘flipped classroom,’ formally known as the ‘inverted classroom,’ has become ‘the’ new phenomenon in pedagogical innovations in the last few years (Jensen, et al., 2015). In a Flipped Classroom, direct instruction is moved out of the classroom and takes place at home, by means of reading text or viewing a video or a digital presentation. This appears, at least superficially, positive in that it maximizes class-time …

Leadership-As-Disciplinary Stewardship: A Social Movement For Kinesiology’S Future Success In The 21st Century University, Jenna R. Lorusso

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Some scholars in kinesiology have advocated for the adoption of the leadership-as-disciplinary stewardship (LDS) construct as a way for the discipline to survive and thrive in the challenging 21^st Century university climate. Despite budding interest in LDS, there is a lack of empirical research on the construct and the limited conceptual literature lacks the specificity, practicality, and transformative quality necessary for realistic and fruitful application. This participatory research, informed by the social movement theory of collective action frames, investigated the meaning, need, development, and motivation of LDS in kinesiology by engaging 10 senior scholars from various countries and sub-disciplinary …

Tracing Controversies In Internationalization: National Actors In Canadian Higher Education, Melody Viczko

Education Publications

No abstract provided.

Becoming A Trauma Informed School Supporting Students With Behavioural Challenges, Jennifer J. Ritsma

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

The organization involved in this change process is an elementary school in Ontario. The Problem of Practice (PoP) addresses how to better support students within an inclusive elementary school who may or may not be formally identified with a special education exceptionality yet are unable to thrive due to their interfering behaviours. An exceptional pupil is “one whose behavioural, communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities are such that he or she is considered to need placement in a special education program” (ON Ministry of Education, PART A: Legislation, Policy, and Funding, para.8). These students are demonstrating behaviours that vary …

A Curriculum Framework At Glsm, A Canadian Medical School, Jeff Bachiu

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Medical education has seen minor changes over the decades, but a dynamic movement towards competency-based medical education (CBME) has swept across the field in recent years. Organizing medical education curriculum to respond to these changes can be challenging due to many factors, in both content and context. The public rightly expects that graduating medical students be competent physicians, ready to deliver effective health care. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) looks at a relatively new medical school’s lack of an outcomes-based curriculum framework. The Problem of Practice (PoP) is focused on the difficulty of moving the school toward the development of …

Increasing The Effectiveness Of English Language Teaching Assistants, Abidemi T. Bankole

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The purpose of this Organization Improvement Plan (OIP) is to develop an approach for increasing the effectiveness of Teaching assistants (TAs) working in the English language classrooms of an international university. TAs play an important role in teaching and learning activities of many universities, where they are employed across a variety of academic disciplines. A Japanese university recruits international undergraduate TAs to model the use of English and facilitate group discussions in small-sized classes. However, most TAs are untrained and inexperienced non-native English speakers, and many have expressed not feeling completely effective in their role. To begin to consider this …

Evidence Informed Strategy To Improve Organizational Learning Engagement, Glenn G. Barton

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The ability of an organization to effectively learn and apply knowledge not only equates with highly agile performance, it is increasingly important to surviving in a knowledge based economy. Organizational learning has been widely popularized in recent decades, however defining, coordinating, and maximizing this collective learning capability within organizations remains challenging. In part this difficulty may lie in conflicted views about the purposes of learning and who it benefits, varied ways in which learning or leading it can happen, and most importantly in employee’s different motivations to engage in learning at all. This plan examines organizational learning engagement and targets …

Improving The Capacity For Collaboration Between Accessibility Services And College Faculty, Mitra Gorjipour

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Failing to provide access to students with disabilities can have far-reaching consequences for the student, society and the higher education organization (HEO). Facilitating access is a particularly sensitive task in the context of college education, considering the reliance of college faculty on practical methods of instruction and the complex needs of academically at-risk students enrolled at these organizations. In such a setting, faculty and accessibility services need to communicate, consult and collaborate seamlessly in order to provide support and ensure access for this student population. The problem of practice addressed here concerns overcoming barriers to cross-functional collaboration between faculty and …

Implementing Innovative Mental Health Supports And Services At A Post-Secondary Institution, Adam K. Lawrence

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2020, the Government of Ontario published a report entitled In It Together: Foundations for Promoting Mental Wellness in Campus Communities. This document outlines that the priority of post-secondary institutions should be the health and well-being of students by ensuring that students receive the supports they need to be successful. Most importantly, the document outlines a community approach needed for students to access mental health supports and services on their campuses. Many post-secondary students are becoming increasingly aware of their own mental health needs prior to enrolling at university or college. This has resulted in a culture on post-secondary …

Building A Co-Curricular Wellness Program For Medical Students At A Canadian Medical School, Renea D. Leskie

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The increasing number of medical students who present with mental illness and burnout is becoming a very real challenge among medical schools nationally and globally, prompting a need for medical schools to address this very real problem. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) seeks to help solve this problem by means of a co-curricular wellness program aimed at preventing mental illness and burnout from happening. Rather than being reactive as students self-identify as having a mental illness, this OIP argues for preventative measures that help to prevent mental illness and burnout from occurring at all.

Using a three-pronged leadership approach of …

An Institutional Strategy To Address Financial Preparedness In A Post-Secondary Environment, Necia Martins

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Attending post-secondary comes at a cost. With rising tuition and life costs, the financial responsibility students are taking on is significant. Many young adults lack the experience and knowledge to manage their financial obligations. For some, during times of financial stress this may lead to balancing a part-time job, a reduced course load or considering withdrawing from studies. Many students rely on financial aid to support their academic and life costs. In the past few years, the provincial government made various changes to the financial aid program and tuition fees. These changes have led to many students misunderstanding how much …

Towards Sustainable Mixed Reality Technology Institutionalization At A Major Urban College In British Columbia, Canada, Brent Fraser Mekelburg

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The organization at the centre of this Organizational Improvement Plan, College X, is a publicly funded college located in a major urban centre in British Columbia, Canada. The problem of practice is the inconsistent implementation for disruptive technology—mixed reality (MR). Currently, faculty are in charge of integrating MR into andragogy. Decisions that enable or hinder MR institutionalization are made by administration; faculty needs and administration support are not necessarily aligned. Failed institutionalization not only deprives learners of the opportunity to acquire digital literacy skills but also threatens institutional legitimacy. Within his role as a program leader, the author proposes a …

Development Of An Academic-Service Alliance To Address New Graduate Registered Nurses’ Practice Readiness, M. Dianne Norman

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

New Graduate Registered Nurses’ (NGRN) lack of practice readiness is a Problem of Practice (PoP) impacting hospitals. Stemming from the evolving complexity of today’s healthcare environment and the generalist nature of the baccalaureate nursing program, the lack of NGRN practice readiness increases hospital-based orientation costs, patient safety risks, and NGRN attrition. There is currently no formal structure in which key stakeholders can address the NGRN lack of knowledge, skills and judgment and the associated implications for the safety and quality of patient care. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines NGRN practice readiness within the organizational context of the Health Centre …

Improving Physical Literacy In Middle School Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Students, Jarod-Lee P. Milko

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Physical activity levels in Canadian youth are decreasing. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on improving physical literacy in middle school Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in a Northern Ontario urban school. The Daily Physical Activity (DPA) policy in Ontario public elementary schools has achieved about 50% fidelity in classrooms since its inception in 2005 (Allison, et al., 2016; Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2015, p. 60). Leading a physically active lifestyle is essential for education outcomes, public health, and general health and wellbeing. Improving physical literacy in youth increases their motivation to be physically active, and through a …

Addressing The Overall Dissatisfaction Of The First-Year Student Experience In University, Christopher E. O'Gorman Mr.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

The concept of student experience has caught the attention of administration in postsecondary institutions, so much so, that they have dedicated departments that deal entirely with the experiences of students on campus. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the students’ overall dissatisfaction with their first-year university experience. The focus of this OIP is to provide a solution that will improve the overall experiences that students have. The OIP begins by introducing the organization through a PEST analysis and provides a framework for the problem of practice, utilizing secondary data that is publicly available. Utilizing structuralist theory as the theoretical …

Weaving The Braid Of Culturally Responsive Leadership Within Policy And Governance To Improve Indigenous Student Success, Shelly L. Niemi

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores a Problem of Practice (PoP) that highlights the need for why the Board of Education and the Senior Administration team within the Raven Bay School Division (RBSD, pseudonym) would benefit from using a culturally responsive leadership approach when making decisions and how this may be achieved through policy and governance to guide their practice. The goal of this OIP is to examine why this leadership approach would be relevant for the Board of Education and the Senior Leadership team when they are making any policy and governance decisions, as it relates to Indigenous …

Improving Faculty’S Educational Technology Adoption, Hiba Sabri

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The purpose of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is to assist higher education leaders in dealing with challenges related to faculty’s technology adoption and improve educational technology practices in teaching. This OIP investigates the current problem of practice (PoP) at Hall University which is based on the concerns related to faculty’s resistance towards using technology in teaching and in attending the existing educational technology training. This OIP has been analyzed through the lens of neoliberalism theory and its influence on higher education in terms of corporatization of education. This theory provides a holistic understanding of the complex nature of higher …

Improved Regional Education Delivery: Reach For The North Program, Elizabeth Anne Sommerfeld

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) has outlined the change plan for a problem of practice for consideration of the education mandate at MY-U’s multiple regional campuses. The overall goal of this plan is to have increased the availability of academically rigorous courses for our regional students. An assessment of the readiness of several stakeholders allowed for a student-centred focus within the political, collegial and organized anarchy paradigms in which the university organization exists. A strategy is discussed to address issues in the administration and university culture while breaking down silos for the multiple campuses. A new organizational framework is offered …

Improving Online Student Engagement In The Online Classroom, Emily Chen-Bendle

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan seeks to address inadequate online student engagement within online classrooms at University X. Inadequate student engagement risks students’ learning, persistence, performance, and academic achievement (Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzi, & Gonyea, 2008; Meyer, 2014; Pardo, Han, & Ellis, 2016; Phan, McNeil, & Robin, 2016), demonstrating the pressing need to improve online student engagement. This work is undertaken in the context of substantial growth in online education, accelerated in the short term by a movement to online delivery of face-to-face post-secondary education necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. The author considers this problem from a non-traditional leadership …

University-Wide Internationalization Of Curriculum: An Organizational Improvement Plan, Ayesha Mushtaq Ms

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In the past few decades, higher education institutions have witnessed a greater interest in the way international perspectives including political, social, cultural, economic and technological perspectives impact graduates’ global competency. The rationale behind this view is to develop a more relevant understanding in graduates of global cultures, global knowledges, and global problems so that they are better prepared for the world of work that awaits them outside the university campus, regionally or internationally. This OIP problematizes the lack of international perspectives in curriculum and proposes a university-wide solution to incorporate internationalization of curriculum. It draws from the theoretical concepts of …

Critical Education: Increasing Student Achievement Through Formative Assessments, Shujon Mazumder

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) supports the use of formative assessment practices within the business department at School X. This organization is a public high school situated in an urban school board in Ontario. Bayside School Board mandates that teachers provide all students with equitable assessment practices and student-centred learning opportunities. Transformational leadership, through a critical lens, will propel a change plan to inform teachers about the oppressive nature of using summative assessments. Through Freire’s (2002) concept of critical pedagogy, a case is made to implement more opportunities for using formative assessments, which allow students to feel empowered. Formative assessments …

Teachers Supporting New Immigrant Esl Learners, Stephanie Nash-Pearce

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines how a teacher leader with influence can support classroom teachers in establishing a more inclusive and culturally competent learning environment. It is framed around a Problem of Practice (PoP) that emerged from a significant increase of new immigrant, English Second Language (ESL) learners enrolling at Rankin Elementary. Formal and informal school assessments revealed that ESL learners were achieving lower than their English speaking peers. This OIP serves to address how classroom teachers can effectively support new immigrant, ESL learners as they work to improve their English Language Proficiency. This OIP is viewed from …

Interdisciplinary Explorations: Setting The Stage For Change Through Understanding Culture And Attending To Psychological Safety In An Ontario Community College, Louise Chatterton

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Central to this Organizational Improvement Plan is the desire to close the gap between a curriculum that is disciplinary-centric to one that is more interdisciplinary. This change will better prepare college graduates for the future skills required in the workplace where increasingly complex problems require interdisciplinary solutions. While this may, at first, appear to be solely about the curriculum, the problem is that moving from a disciplinary to an interdisciplinary mindset involves disturbing deeply rooted disciplinary boundaries and, in turn, challenging faculty identities. In order to influence the culture of College X towards interdisciplinarity, the cultural context of the institution …

A Strategic Approach To Increasing Course Completion, Melissa Humby

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The motivation for this Organization Improvement Plan (OIP) is rooted in the issue of low course completion in a small, rural junior-senior high school in Alberta. Poor attendance is the key problem that results in poor course completion. Previous strategies to improve course completion have had limited success. An analysis of the organization’s readiness for change reveals that School X is facing the urgency of finding a solution to the problem. In this OIP, the author investigates several strategies to ensure that all students in School X complete their course requirements to enable them to meet the necessary requirements for …

Steam Integration At Aro Academy, Lee-Ron Shulman-Kaye

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan centres around a problem of practice at a faith-based independent elementary school in Ontario. Faced with several organizational challenges including declining enrolment and pressure by stakeholders to ensure curriculum delivery remains relevant for 21^st Century learners, there is a goal of embedding Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) integrated learning in a meaningful way. The school has made physical space and has the technology available to support instructional change including a dedicated Marker Space and Robotics Room. A robotics specialist and an administrator supervising innovation have been hired to support teachers but integration in …

Student Responsibility Through Building Teacher Capacities, Christopher C. Deboer

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Bound Yet Free Christian School is an organization committed to a growth mindset. The school’s Board of Directors invests in school improvement efforts, making use of external evaluations and encouraging professional development. Building on the previous external evaluations of the organization, two of the local school board’s resulting initiatives are explicitly addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan. Making academic success a priority while building teacher capacities in intelligent, evidence-based pedagogies are the goals. A specific focus on assisting student development of responsibility and ownership for their learning is the focal point for improving student learning. This plan seeks to outline …

Increasing Non-Academic Employee Engagement, Elisabeth Rees-Johnstone

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The nature of administrative work in higher education institutions (HEIs) is changing. HEIs are operating within an environment of increasingly complex conditions, including increased demand for access to its services, reduced government funding, and increased internationalization and market competition. Consequently, administrative work in higher education has increased in complexity, as, too, has the talent required to execute this work. No longer are HEIs comprised of homogeneous talent; today, these entities are experiencing increased hiring of individuals in non-academic roles who bring diverse experience and skills. With this change in talent composition, this Organization Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on a Canadian …

Closing The Culture Gap: Student Language Competencies For The Assessment Of Patients In A Bilingual Health Care Setting, Midori Derome-Pinto

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In a bilingual health care institution, how can specialized practitioners improve students’ administration of standardized assessments in neuropsychology to French-speaking patients in the absence of language competencies, in alignment with the cultures of both patient-centered care and efficiency? This OIP was developed for a Canadian bilingual health care institution, operating in alignment with political and legal language service and patient care obligations. However, increasing demand for services and professional language competency coupled with reduced funding has led to efficiency-focused departmental practices. Challenges in balancing a culture of efficacy and efficiency with the culture of patient-centered care and bilingualism have led …