Education Commons^™

Increasing Support And Collective Teacher Efficacy Of Part-Time English-Language Instructors In A Japanese University, Philip J. Gurney

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) seeks to enhance the support and collective teacher efficacy of part-time English-language instructors in the Department of English Language and Culture (DELC) at Kei University (KU) (pseudonyms), a private university in the Kansai region of Japan. Currently, part-time and foreign part-time English-language instructors teach most of the compulsory English courses in the DELC at KU, but they receive limited institutional support and guidance, which negatively affects their ability to teach effectively and their students' learning outcomes. This OIP examines the lack of support and collective teacher efficacy of part-time instructors as a problem of practice …

Enhancing Racialized Staff Mental Health And Well-Being From An Equity-Focused Lens, Natacha Castor

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The Des Grands Lac school board is facing an ongoing dearth of qualified teachers that warrants a critical examination in order to underscore the impact of low staffing on staff mental health. Among these factors, the damaging impacts of racism in all its forms on racialized educators’ mental health has remained unexamined and unaddressed. As racism is deeply entrenched within the fabric of educational policies and practices, this discrimination is, too often, normalized. Consequently, owing to the racism, several racialized staff have reported experiences of anxiety, depression, and trauma, leaving them feeling alienated and undervalued. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) …

An Act Of Hospitality: From Clinical To Trauma-Informed Academic Support, Melinda M. Dewsbury

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Higher education environments tend to sustain interpretations of student success that place the responsibility on students alone. This perspective, often described as deficit thinking, shapes educational responses into remedial ones. In this view, students who struggle do so because of poor study skills or habits. Academic support, then, fills the students with what they lack. This approach assumes that all students access learning in the same way, and that all students are equally able to make good academic choices. However, research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) finds that many students bring with them a history of trauma, which changes the …

Fostering An Evaluative Culture By Addressing A Breakdown In The Policy Development Cycle, Michelle Anderson-Draper

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to address the problem of practice (PoP) of a breakdown in the policy development cycle. The breakdown has resulted in a lack of evaluative feedback on the extent to which policies have been implemented as intended and are effective in achieving their intended outcomes. The PoP challenges elected trustees, in a large and diverse K–12 school division in Western Canada, to carry out their governance role. To address the PoP, the OIP offers a comprehensive change implementation plan, guided by a four-step change path model, actions, and continuous improvement cycle, supported by communication strategies …

Enduring Indigeneity: Community Consultation As A Process For Indigenizing Curriculum At A College In Ontario, Camille C. Di Iulio

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its report which included 94 Calls to Action to address the legacy impacts of the Indian Residential School System in Canada. With education at the forefront of reconciliation, Call to Action #62 calls on post-secondary educators to integrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit content into their curriculum, to Indigenize teaching and learning within an education system built on Eurocolonial worldviews. A post-secondary institution located in southern Ontario (referred to by the pseudonym SCAAT) is making decolonization an institutional priority, especially as it is aligned with their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) …

Building Educator E-Pedagogy Skill Efficacy And Capacity To Successfully Engage Students In The Online Learning Environment, Karen M. Roeck

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Students around the world are increasingly seeking options for completing their learning in an online format due to its convenience, flexibility, and opportunity for innovative experiences. Higher education institutions need to adapt their course offerings to include robust online programs and train their faculty with the necessary skills to successfully engage their virtual learners to remain competitive in today’s market. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) identifies gaps of inadequacy of infrastructure to support online learning, limited knowledge of e-pedagogy, lack of clarity about teacher identity, and lack of focus on equity and humanity in the online classroom at a Christian …

Improving Faculty Capacity To Support Student Mental Health, Nishma Bhaloo

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Mental health issues are on the rise among students at postsecondary institutions (PSIs), necessitating a campus-wide initiative to address growing concerns about mental health problems among students. Extending the circle of care model to include faculty ensures the timely delivery of support and services to address students’ mental health needs. This integrated approach also enables faculty to respond to students’ needs and direct students to the appropriate resources. However, faculty must be equipped with the knowledge needed to recognize the signs of mental health issues among students to positively impact students’ overall health and well-being. Improving faculty capacity to support …

Creating And Implementing An Effective, Instructive, And Intentional Staff Induction Process, Nicholas A. Spring-Peers

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

High levels of teacher attrition can negatively impact student learning, cause financial impairment to the organization, and hinder students’ socio-emotional development. Staff induction can be described as a process by which new employees learn and adjust to an organization's norms and expectations to perform their assigned role in the organization effectively. For international schools, however, staff induction is more complex and nuanced, as newly-hired staff are coming from another country and are thus subject to unique challenges that can cause stress, anxiety, and unease. Some challenges that newly-hired staff may experience are culture shock, homesickness, communication frustrations due to language …

Enhancing Employee Engagement At A Higher Education Institution: A Leadership Development Framework, Kacem Habiballah

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The low levels of employee engagement at a school within a Higher Education Institution is the Problem of Practice (PoP) addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP). The results of an employee engagement survey revealed that faculty and staff yearn for feedback, mentoring, and recognition from their academic managers. The survey also indicated that academic managers lack the necessary skills and time to coach and mentor their direct reports. The principles of interpretive theory, coupled with adaptive and servant leadership are foundational elements of this OIP, and are leveraged to help address the PoP. Studies have shown that the quality …

Institutionalizing Blended And Distance Learning In Language Teaching At A Research University, Martine Rheaume

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly exploring innovative strategies to adapt to the 21^st century changing institutional context and to respond to the students’ needs and expectations. Given that technology in all its forms is ubiquitous in Education, one of HEIs’ strategical responses is the implementation of blended learning (BL) and distance learning (DL) as new pedagogies in all faculties. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) examines how a language department, part of the Faculty of Arts in a large research-focused University, can integrate BL and DL in language teaching. As this change is a significant departure from the current …

Learning To Succeed: Supporting, Tracking And Engaging Education In The Workplace, John Mbakulo

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) identifies a need to support, track, and engage employees pursuing post-secondary education in a large-sized police service. The organization’s current investment in post-secondary education support is relatively small compared to the costs that learners face, and this figure has not increased in over a decade. Moreover, though education is tracked upon entering the workforce, due to technological changes these records are not easily obtainable, and any additional educational achievements are not recorded once an employee has started working. Expanding this focus on supporting education will reinforce the recognition of the value that additional education brings …

How Can The Marginalization Of Girls Be Reduced In A Provincial Primary Rural School In A Developing Country In Asia?, Muhammad Kashif Memon

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

As pressure grows on developing nations to implement United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), marginalization of girls in education is increasingly becoming a socioeconomic concern to the overall development of these countries. Considering the challenges faced by girls in acquiring education in rural areas of developing nations, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines a sensitive yet significant problem of practice (PoP): How can the marginalization of girls be reduced in a provincial primary rural school in a developing country in Asia (Country A)? The OIP examines various perspectives surrounding marginalization of girls, gaining insight into how external and internal forces …

Increasing Teacher Capacity In Supporting Student Mental Health, Mary Louise Ireland

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Abstract

Increasing rates of adolescent anxiety and depression present new challenges for educators. This requires educators to increase their capacity to meet the unique learning needs of students with mental health concerns. The Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores this problem of practice, targeting improved teacher ability to understand student mental health, to recognize the signs of distress, and to employ teaching strategies and practices to accommodate learning needs. The notion that academic functioning is tied to mental health functioning in a bi-directional relationship (Powers, Bower, Webber & Martinson, 2011) underscores the need for teachers to be equipped with a greater …

Improving Principal Professional Practice Through Communities Of Practice, Lisa Clarke

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Project (OIP) explores a problem of practice (PoP) where the Association Office (AO), within a large, private school district (District), wishes to facilitate professional development of leadership skills, collaboration, and cooperation amongst the principals. Perspectives on the problem are gained through a thorough assessment of the District and its existing culture and practices. In addition, this OIP examines the District’s readiness for change and how both the internal and external forces for change can be used to create momentum to address the PoP. Various leadership approaches, including adaptive, agile, and servant leadership, and possible solutions are considered …