Education Commons^™

Bridging The Gap: The Success Of Underprepared Students In Developmental Mathematics And Subsequent College-Level Mathematics Courses, Pamela Devone Edwards

Education Dissertations and Projects

Today, millions of students are entering higher education underprepared for college-level coursework. In the Southeastern Community College System, approximately 60% of the students were required to take developmental coursework prior to enrolling in college-level courses. Of these students, close to 30% enrolled in developmental mathematics courses. Attempts to improve success rates in these courses led the Southeastern Community College System to redesign the developmental mathematics program and determine college readiness using Multiple Measures. Implementation of these measures have changed the student demographics for developmental mathematics, which leaves to question: Who are the underprepared students? Research has shown that these students …

Students With Learning Differences From College Star: A Case Study, Haley Nulty

Education Dissertations and Projects

This case study focused on the perceptions from students, family members, and faculty of students utilizing programs funded by the College STAR grant. The College STAR grant provides funds to welcome and support students with unique learning needs. As a newer initiative, minimal data exist on college students’ utilization of the resources provided by College STAR. The success of these students was the focus of this research. An analysis of feedback from one of the three participating universities including faculty members, family perspectives, and student qualities was conducted. This qualitative research approach consisted of a six-part design to collect and …

Impact Of Cheerleading On Postsecondary Career And College Readiness In A Rural Community, Rikki Baldwin

Education Dissertations and Projects

High schools were being held accountable for not properly preparing students for college or the workforce. Preparation for high school students is not limited to their academic experiences but rather soft skills gained through involvement with extracurricular activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of cheerleading on the qualities needed for college and career preparation. This study analyzed the responses of former cheerleaders from a rural high school in North Carolina. This qualitative study utilized a descriptive survey that included O’Neil, Lee, Wang, Mulkey’s (1999) Teamwork Questionnaire followed by two focus groups. Overall, the researcher concluded …

A Study Of Rigor, Teacher Self-Efficacy, And Student Achievement In Three High Schools In A Rural School District In Eastern North Carolina, Katrina Hannon Cobb

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the importance of rigor and teacher efficacy in relation to student achievement. There are several definitions of the word rigor. Blackburn (2008) defined rigor as “An environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels” (p. 16). ACT/SAT data, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE), and the High School Reform and Work all conclude that students who are college and career ready have graduated …

Understanding Video Adoption: An Insider Action Researcher’S Case Study Using The Concerns-Based Adoption Model To Facilitate A Community Of Inquiry In Online Courses, Emily G. Robertson

Education Dissertations and Projects

This research explored how an insider change agent constructs a holistic understanding of a user’s adoption of video to facilitate the change adoption process and establish a community of inquiry in online courses. The case study was guided by tenets of change theory and constructivism emphasizing the personal and collaborative experience of the change adoption process. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) constructs of Stages of Concern (SoC), Levels of Use (LoU) and Innovation Configuration (IC), along with the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model elements of presence aligned with the theoretical frameworks and guided data collection and analysis.

Using five iterative …

Putting Experience To Work: Leveraging Student Attributes And Abilities In The Development Of An Adult Learner Professional Readiness Experience Program, Erin E. Cook

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the project was to provide an opportunity for adult learners at Gardner-Webb University to collectively engage in professional development within their program of study. Specifically, the program was designed to harness an adult learner’s prior knowledge, skills, and life experiences as an enhancement to his or her future professional work.

At the beginning of the project, no established professional development program was available for adult learners. The development of the Adult Learner Professional Readiness Experience Program (AL-PREP) allowed the aforementioned purpose to align with Gardner-Webb curriculum.

Goals, objectives, and data collection methods were established in order to …

Ignite-Ism: Building An International Student Management Program To Improve Recruitment And Support Services, Hazim Naser Almomani

Education Dissertations and Projects

The project aimed to discover an effective way to serve the international students who were already enrolled at a university in the southeastern United States and to provide a unique strategy for recruiting international students. In addition, this project aimed to improve online services as well as provide new services that could help international students in their engagement in the university community. This project is a map for a university to build a strong foundation in both marketing and serving incoming students. Ignite-ISM is a program that supports a new vision in the process of recruiting international students. The project …

Continuing Education Certification Programs For Career-Long Learning: Winston-Salem State University, Patricia Oliver

Education Dissertations and Projects

The Division of Continuing Education at Winston-Salem State University has a service gap in the market regarding career-long learning in the community. Continuing Education wanted to establish a project that would bring in revenue with very little start-up costs.

The purpose of this project was to look atcareer-long learning as a concept in the disciplines of allied health, computer technology, paralegal, project management, and business administration at Winston-Salem State University in the Division of Continuing Education. The need for in-depth education and training in specific areas has been influenced by the shortage of corporations and hospitals in some areas. One …

Igniting The Fire: Creating A Fire Service Administration Program At Gardner-Webb University, Rusty Nolan Graham

Education Dissertations and Projects

Igniting the Fire: Creating a Bachelor of Science in Fire Service Administration at Gardner-Webb University is a doctoral project that created a professional education program for a liberal arts university. During this project, the major issues that were discovered included there was no school or college within the university to house the program, creating and maintaining buy in from administration and the faculty, creating a rigorous academic curriculum, locating the advisory committee, creation of a communication and media plan that would reach our targeted students, applying for approval from our regional accrediting body, and registering students. At the time of …

Finishing The Race: Increasing Student Persistence Among African-American Males At Averett University, Deandre T. Howard

Education Dissertations and Projects

With the rising costs of tuition and fees at colleges and universities, the issue of retaining students has now become more important than ever. Several institutions of higher education spend thousands of dollars annually to recruit and enroll new students. Once enrolled, the faculty, staff and administration all share the obligation of keeping students enrolled until graduation. The more access to necessary resources college students have, the better the chance they will persist toward graduation. Additionally, college students who are engaged within the university community will retain at a better rate than their counterparts who are not.

Small, private colleges …

Investigating Aromatherapy As A Test Anxiety Intervention For Undergraduate Nursing Students, Brittany Graham

Education Dissertations and Projects

This project seeks to explore the concept of aromatherapy as an intervention for undergraduate nursing student test anxiety in greater depth. Test anxiety is significant in nursing education because of the high stakes weight of exams and difficulties associated with answering multiple choice and multiple response questions. Historically, the Hunt School of Nursing has not provided specific procedures or interventions to assist students with test anxiety; however, this project seeks to outline a pathway for the development and achievement of a successful aromatherapy program for undergraduate students. On an informal trial basis, the use of aromatherapy lotions prior to exams …

Ready Or Not: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Early College Graduates’ First-Year Experiences, Jennifer Elizabeth Wilson

Education Dissertations and Projects

Current frameworks of college readiness fail to address the impact of college readiness on the postsecondary educational experiences of traditionally underserved students such as low socioeconomic and first generation. The purpose of this study was to utilize the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach to investigate the first-year postsecondary educational experiences and understandings of the graduates of an early college high school in western North Carolina. The phenomenon studied was the use of early college high school experiences in a first-year college or university setting. The researcher employed the use of individual interviews to explore the transfer of college readiness instruction into …

Effectiveness Of The Career And College Promise Program In Increasing College Readiness At A Rural North Carolina Community College, Ashley Paris Day

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study addressed the effectiveness of the North Carolina Career and College Promise (NCCCP) program using Conley’s (2010) framework for college readiness in determining and promoting college readiness for students participating in the program at a rural North Carolina community college. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used in this study. Phase I involved quantitative data collection and analysis from existing statistical data in the form of NCCCP student final course grades (n=886), general education math common assessment scores (n=98), and CCP student (n=27) and instructor (n=9) responses to perception college readiness surveys. The quantitative data analysis was followed …

A Case Study Of A Business-Education Partnership Through Internships, Dana Blue Chavis

Education Dissertations and Projects

Economic and demographic shifts are disturbed due to high school and collegiate dropout rates as well as discrepancies in scholastic achievement. This shift in the labor market has caused policymakers, educators, and employers to seek answers for how the knowledge and training of scholars can boost their skills to make them college, career, and life ready. Internships are resurfacing as an extra educational appeal that might bridge the gap between the knowledge and work, once these are aligned with the values and expectations of the major key players (scholars, employers, and educators) with the substantive support of policymakers. The purpose …

The Feasibility Of Implementing Early College Instructional Strategies And Design Principles In Traditional High Schools As A Reform Model, Shelia Smith Wyont

Education Dissertations and Projects

Early college high schools were developed as a partnership between school districts and colleges to provide students an opportunity to earn a high school diploma concurrently with an associate’s degree or transferable college credit at little or no cost. In 2011, North Carolina New Schools implemented the Rural Innovative Initiative with the purpose of expanding college readiness and reducing dropouts by applying early college design principles and strategies into 18 existing traditional high schools in low-wealth districts. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of implementation of early college principles and strategies into traditional high schools. The …

A Program Evaluation Of A Christian College Baccalaureate Program Utilizing Stufflebeam's Cipp Model, Victoria F. Hanchell

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was a program evaluation of an undergraduate program of study at a Christian institution of higher education. The college had not received a formal evaluation since the institution of their strategic planning in 2008. The program evaluation of this baccalaureate program was reviewed through the lens of the CIPP Evaluation Model (Stufflebeam, 2002). Through the CIPP Evaluation Model, the Context (C), Inputs (I), Processes (P), and Product (P) of this institution were evaluated.

Four research questions were developed to coincide with the four thematic areas of CIPP model. The four research questions were (1) Context: How were the …

Have 21st Century Skills Made Their Way To The University Classroom? A Study To Examine The Extent To Which 21st Century Skills Are Being Incorporated Into The Academic Programs At A Small, Private, Church-Related University, Christopher Scott Boe

Education Dissertations and Projects

With the increased expectation of college or university attendance as a prerequisite for workforce entry, the criticism of business leaders and the general public, and the increasing cost of postsecondary education, it becomes critical for institutions of higher education to know what they are offering students and how well those offerings are being presented. Meaningful, engaged learning that prepares students for life and the ever-changing world of work is what these consumers are seeking. It becomes, then, the responsibility of the institution of higher education to evaluate its programs to determine what it is actually providing students in terms of …

An Exploration Of Factors Affecting Student Persistence Into Athletic Training Education Programs, Heather Hartsell

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study was designed to examine the factors that contribute to student persistence into athletic training education programs (ATEPs). The researcher also gauged prospective athletic training students' perceptions on experiences that contributed to their decision to either apply or not apply to ATEPs.

Invited study participants included all freshmen prospective athletic training students who were enrolled in the Athletic Training Introductory course/s at three participating CAATE-accredited ATEPs with a secondary admissions process occurring in the fall. Contact persons from each ATEP were e-mailed a study introduction letter and asked to e-mail a student letter with a survey link to students …

First-Generation Freshman College Students: Factors Impacting Retention For The Subsequent Year, Laura Colson Mclean

Education Dissertations and Projects

Against all odds, first-generation college students continue to enroll in postsecondary schools with aspirations of obtaining a bachelor's degree. Unfortunately, many have not successfully reached their goal, which in turn has affected retention rates of colleges and universities. There are programs that provide academic support and advising to increase retention for first-generation college students. However, there are academic and nonacademic needs of the students that colleges, universities, and public policymakers have neglected to address.

The purpose of this research study was to determine from 168 first-generation college students at 5 participating institutions, what factors impacted their enrollment after their first …

The Effect Of Select Programmatic Characteristics On First-Time Pass Rate Of The Board Of Certification Examination, Matthea S. Hungerford

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study was designed to examine the progression of Board of Certification (BOC) Domain content within athletic training courses and the introduction of Domain content within the curriculum of the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) on first-time pass rate of the BOC exam for 2010 graduates. The researcher also gauged the perceptions of athletic training education program directors and instructional faculty regarding importance of specific ATEP characteristics on preparing students for success on the BOC examination.

Invited study subjects included all Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Educated accredited ATEP directors and associated instructional faculty. Participants were e-mailed a study …

Identification Of Perceived 21st Century Graphic Design Skills, Content Knowledge, And Tools Needed In An Effective University-Level Graphic Design Program, Amanda W. Bridges

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify 21st century skills, content knowledge, and tools needed in an effective university-level graphic design program. Inconsistencies in the graphic design curriculum, fueled by the increasingly large number of programs and concentrations and the inability to track graduates, were some of the issues that led to a need for this study.

This study was an expansion of a previous 2006 study conducted by Shyang-Yuh Wang, which took place in Kansas and Missouri. This current study used a modified Delphi Technique in which perceptions from university-level graphic design educators and industry professionals from North …

Program Evaluation: The Alignment Of An Undergraduate Athletic Training Preparation Program To The Clinical Standards, Brandy Perdue Clemmer

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the clinical education aspect of the athletic training preparation program at a Division II university aligns with the clinical standards. The program evaluation focused on current undergraduate athletic training candidates who were officially accepted into the current athletic training program. An assessment was given to better understand the current students' perceptions of their clinical instructor. Along with current students, alumni of the athletic training program were surveyed to evaluate their readiness attitude as they entered entry-level positions in athletic training. The clinical instructors also completed an evaluation form to …