Education Commons^™

The Influence Of Engaging Centralized Student Support On The Academic Achievement Of Student Veterans, Paul Morgan

Dissertations, 2014-2019

As more veterans and service members enroll in higher education, institutions are investing greater resources in the establishment and enhancement of centers to support them. However, little is known about the outcomes associated with utilization of the centers. Furthermore, researchers have consistently aggregated veterans and service members under “student veterans” with little regard for potential differences. Using regression analyses and analysis of variance, this case study explored the effect of visits to a veterans center on grade point average (GPA), the effect of academic need on frequency of visits, and differences in academic achievement for different types of military-affiliated students. …

Instructor Humor As A Tool To Increase Student Engagement, Carl Christman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As various stakeholders examine the value and quality of higher education, a greater emphasis is being put on educational outcomes. There is constant focus on improving the quality of undergraduate education and one of the keys to this is understanding what makes a good instructor. Effective instructors rely on a variety of tools and techniques to engage their students and help them learn. One common tool that instructors in higher education rely on in the classroom is humor.

The primary research question this study is attempting to answer is: In what ways, if any, does humor infused instruction promote high …

Student Engagement In Post-Soviet Higher Education: Coping With Academic Quality Problems., J. L. Mettille

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the experiences of administrators, instructional faculty, and students within a post-Soviet higher education institution in the Kyrgyz Republic using qualitative field research and case study methods. This study identifies the perceived potential of Western benchmarks of effective educational practice to evince positive change in the institution as well as their propriety and relevance in this context. In addition, the propositions underlying the student engagement construct and overarching the benchmarks are evaluated based upon participant responses and classroom observation data. Twenty higher education practitioners and twenty students participated in semi-structured interviews preceding and following seven classroom observations. The …