Education Commons^™

Improving Ministerial Effectiveness In A Multi-Site Church, Randa M. Ross

Education Dissertations and Projects

In the modern church, it is not uncommon for churches to be comprised of congregations that worship at multiple locations offering several worship times and some even offering a virtual worship experience. In order to effectively manage Sunday worship along with other church activities, churches rely heavily on their congregants to volunteer in the various church ministries. The need for actively engaged volunteers is only amplified when the resources are spread across multiple campuses. The Park Church is one of those churches presented with the challenge of Improving Ministerial Effectiveness at a Multi-Site Church.

The Park Church desired to improve …

Enhancing School Programs To Support Transient Students, Tiffany R. Lyles

Education Dissertations and Projects

Over the past 5 years, the effects between student achievement and student mobility have increased within the urban communities and school settings across the nation. When analyzing the proficiency levels of students in Grades 3-8, Westerly Hills Academy continues to receive a below average school rating based on North Carolina state requirements. Year after year, Westerly Hills Academy deemed to improve the overall proficiency of the school, yet it was not until 2015 when it became more prevalent that the increase of academic deficiencies stemmed from a population of students within the school setting. This group of students was not …

Catalyzing Momentum For An Emerging Non-Profit, Gregory Shull

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project was to lead The Banker’s House through a strategic planning process. Our overarching goal was to systematically plan for the self-sustainability of The Banker’s House organization. Through the strategic planning sessions, four committees were established as well as sub-goals for reaching toward organizational self-sustainability. The four committees – Program Development, Finance & Operations, Marketing, and Quality Assurance – have own their strategic initiatives and provide an organized approach to measuring and monitoring progress. A new organization mission statement emerged early in the process, guiding the formulation of the committee goals. Over the three-year consultancy experience, …

Obtaining Crla Level Three International Tutor Certification, Meredith Garrett

Education Dissertations and Projects

This summary outlines the process of obtaining level three international tutor certification through the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) at Gardner-Webb University. The Learning Enrichment and Assistance Program (LEAP) provides peer tutoring for undergraduate students and is associated with the University division of student success. CRLA is an international tutoring certification program in which college tutoring centers can apply for level one, two, and/or three certification to learn and apply best tutoring practices. To achieve level one tutor certification, the tutoring center must ensure the individual tutor completes a total of 10 hours of CRLA approved tutoring training as …

Collaborating, Cultivating, Connections, Danny L. Moore

Education Dissertations and Projects

In 2013, Northview Middle School was seen as a focus school with the student achievement gap that had not closed within 3 years, and the main factor was the underperforming subgroups. The Black males were severely underperforming on all core subject areas and creating discipline issues within the classroom environment. At this rate, these students would mostly not graduate from school and end up in the school-to-prison pipeline.

Black male students who have not had success in the regular public schools may have low self-esteem and poor grades and may not be engaged in school; that is the reason for …

Advanced Career Essentials: Lenoir Community College’S Model Of The North Carolina Basic Skills Plus Initiative, Vertricia Leeann Harris

Education Dissertations and Projects

Advanced Career Essentials (ACE) is a model of the North Carolina Basic Skills Plus program that is designed to meet the specific needs of the Transitional and Career Studies program at Lenoir Community College (LCC). The North Carolina Basic Skills Plus initiative was approved and implemented in 2010. This initiative is designed to allow basic skills students the opportunity to complete a high school equivalency credential, an occupational extension credential, and the Career Readiness Certificate at the same time. These students must have a 9.0 grade equivalency score based on the results of the official placement test.

Currently, there is …

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 …

A Nonprofit Board Development Plan For The Cleveland County Abuse Prevention Council, Barbara Bass Romich

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this consultancy was to assist in the transformation of the Cleveland County Abuse Prevention Council (CCAPC) from a director-led organization (governance model) to a board-directed (support model) organization through the development of an active, effective Board of Directors . The mission of CCAPC is, “to serve as a bridge between being a victim to becoming a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault and homelessness through the provision of safe shelter, advocacy, support services, and preventive education.” After 4 years of securing grants, loans, and private donations through a “Building Hope capital campaign,” CCAPC was poised to break …

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 …

Moving Forward: Expanding The Digital Marketing And Information Technology Strategy Of A Thriving Nonprofit, R. Chance Witherspoon

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the project was to expand the digital marketing efforts and volunteer reporting and training processes of a thriving nonprofit healthcare organization. In 2015, the organization had an aging Web presence, disparate marketing systems, and inconvenient volunteer reporting and training processes. The project consisted of four central goals: improve website content management and update processes, improve website usability and digital marketing efforts, improve volunteer documentation and reporting processes, and improve volunteer training processes through accessible education resources.

Utilizing a modest budget, the project team sought to improve marketing and information technology processes within the organization by implementing modern …

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 …

Building The Foundation: Initiating Assessment Practices For North Carolina Housing Officers, Marinda C. Bliss

Education Dissertations and Projects

Enrollment at institutions of higher education were tight markets with overlapping competition for the same customers in many areas. The typical undergraduate student market was an informed consumer who sought the amenities of home for their student housing. The shift for the student market placed residence hall programs in competition with one another, thus the need for timely assessment of the residence hall facilities, programs, staff, and customers to plan appropriately for the future is appropriate.

North Carolina Housing Officers, also known as NCHO, served 57 institutions in North Carolina that have residence hall programs for the promotion of idea …

Project Cems: Cost Efficient Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses, Wendy Brown Dellinger

Education Dissertations and Projects

The goal of any organization is to find cost efficient marketing strategies to promote their business. Project CEMS provided a template for the partnering organization to utilize for the improvement of their customer service and public image. This marketing plan consisted of four distinct yet coinciding stages, each focusing on the goals of the project. In Stage I, an interactive website was built to provide potential clientele with essential company information. During Stage II, high impact and detail oriented presentation packets were created. The focus of Stage III was on customer care which included correspondence, branded promotional items, satisfaction survey, …

Universal Diversity Training, Masonya N. Ruff

Education Dissertations and Projects

The Cleveland County Schools (CCS) district has more minorities and children living in poverty than in past years. With this increase in diverse cultures, teaching and teachers have remained the same. As a result, the achievement gap has not gotten smaller. White students are not growing and achieving as they should. There is a need now more than ever for teachers to step outside the box and do things differently. Not only must they do things differently, but they must also “see” things differently. This requires a paradigm shift.

The purpose of this project is to develop a framework for …

Reinvention: The Reimagined And Continued Evolution Of A Housing Program, John Johnson

Education Dissertations and Projects

A successful housing and residence education program is a vital component of a university’s traditional undergraduate program. Such programs assist in the recruitment and retention of students as well as a serve as a significant source of revenue. Furthermore, such programs are conducive to the ongoing spiritual, academic, and social development of the students who reside in residential communities; however, for such programs to effectively accomplish their respective missions, they must focus on their core mission and goals, effectively manage their occupancy, effectively train their staff, effectively maintain their facilities, effectively market the experiences they offer, and effectively assess their …

Sustaining A Competitive Edge Through Transforming Organizational Culture In A K-12 Setting, April Butler-Mcconneaughey

Education Dissertations and Projects

This project addressed how a program of curriculum development and professional support helped a K-12 tuition-based school transform its culture and create and sustain a competitive edge in a private school market.

Because of the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a new 21st Century Literacy/Language Arts Curriculum Support: Professional Development Program at the elementary level, this school has been able to create and maintain a high-performance culture and increase market share and student growth and proficiency.

One of the objectives of this project was to develop and implement systems and processes that would foster a collaborative culture and increase student …

University Academic Program Cost Modeling: A Roadmap To Fiscal Sustainability, Patrick Biggerstaff

Education Dissertations and Projects

Fiscal sustainability has plagued institutions of higher education for as long as universities have existed. Colleges and universities must gain a better understanding of the cost to teach our students and the fiscal performance of our academic programs to survive. Understanding how we construct and arrange resources around the essential academic delivery will allow university leadership to better align program decisions with financial sustainability. This project outlines a financial analytics dashboard showing the fiscal impact of academic programs for strategic operational planning and design at institutions of higher education. The dashboard developed was built on a common unit of measurement, …

The Formation Of A Distance Learning Institute: Transforming People, Process, And Product, Martha Eddings

Education Dissertations and Projects

The Distance Learning Institute (DLI) was formed in response to decreasing enrollment and increasing attrition rates ("White Paper: Research in Online Learning", n.d.), to provide another educational option for students, and to compete with other online educational institutions (“The Attack of the MOOCs,” July 2013). This consultancy project documents the initiation of a DLI from proposal to implementation, to offer complete online degrees and certificates. The DLI was planned in four phases with milestones and projected completion dates as follows:

Phase 1: Established the Oversight Committee, researched best practices, determined the need for the DLI, anticipated and actual completion date …

Risk Factors And Interventions Associated With Sophomore Retention At A Small, Private Institution, Michael Reynolds

Education Dissertations and Projects

Analyzing the “sophomore slump” has plagued researchers for decades. This consultancy project analyzed some quantitative and qualitative data from a small, private university and developed key recommendations to help address sophomore attrition. The analysis contained a quantitative component which led to the collection of student profiles that were used to examine specific phenomenon from a more qualitative perspective. Through the process, the project underwent constant revision but maintained the initial scope and boundaries. Work plans, financial assessments, and risk mitigation plans were developed throughout the lifecycle of the project and communicated to key stakeholders. Several challenges included the collection of …

Creating Our Future -- Transforming A Traditional Non-Profit Into A High Performing Organization, William Weller

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the project was to transform the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland County Board of Directors (the Club) from an executive-directed organization to an organization that encouraged Board member involvement. Our goal was to serve more kids every day, expand facilities, take functional responsibility of the operation of the Club while finding more funding sources to meet the budget. The organization needed to change or it would not be in existence. Using Kotter’s Eight Step Change Model, the leadership team worked to create a sense of urgency for the change process. Strategic planning sessions established goals and …

Project Achieve: A Literacy Program For Excellence, Deitra Johnson

Education Dissertations and Projects

The South Carolina 2013 PASS and HSAP scores indicate students in third through eighth and eleventh grades were below national averages, the achievement gap between subgroups were increasing, and the infusion of STEMs education will encourage student interest. In this project, The Read to Succeed program was incentivizing quarterly after each STAR Reading literacy assessment. The challenge with low-poverty, low-achieving students is student efficacy. The program’s goal was to develop student efficacy in our school. The South Carolina state curriculum was utilized with the infusion of literacy across the curriculum and STEMs education. Educators established relationships with students focusing on …

Incorporating Renewable Energy Resources Into Workforce Development For Technical Programs, Stanley Oswald

Education Dissertations and Projects

As renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic and wind turbines are becoming more prevalent in the generation of electrical energy, it is imperative to have a trained workforce familiar with theory, installations, troubleshooting, and maintenance of renewable energy systems. It is this reason an undertaking is in place to develop a program to train individuals in the Fairfield, Lexington, and Richland County areas of South Carolina to provide entry level training in renewable energy solutions. The reason this project was undertaken hinged on several key factors; one of them being the availability of an untapped resource readily available in South …

Observing The Effectiveness Of Secondary School Science Instructors And The Instructional Climate Through The Analysis Of Student Performance And Feedback, Keesha D. Lewis

Education Dissertations and Projects

The relationship between student performance and instructor effectiveness has been the subject of pedagogical studies for numerous years. The purpose of this project was to determine the extent to which student feedback could positively impact instructor performance, thus influencing student performance and achievement. Additionally, North Carolina instructors are evaluated based on student performance. The evaluations are represented by three colors: red, green, and blue. Instructors who are assessed as “red” are ineffective. Instructors who are assessed as “green” are minimally effective. Instructors who are assessed as “blue” are exceedingly effective. For a minimum of 3 consecutive school semesters, I provided …

The Reinvention Of The Gaston County Animal Control, Jay W. Human

Education Dissertations and Projects

In the fall of 2014 after the retirement of the longtime director, it became apparent that the conditions within the Animal Control Division of the Gaston County Police Department were far from what had been portrayed for years. Facing the department was an antiquated records system, staff with limited training, a lack of supervision resulting in lengthy response times, and a subculture existing independent of the department’s culture.

Utilizing Morgan’s (2006) storyline to determine what forces were influencing the current and future conditions within the division, I identified that the Cultural Metaphor was the dominant frame. As Morgan (2006, p. …