Higher Education Commons^™

Exploring The Role Of Higher Education In Responsible Deployment Of Artificial Intelligence, Shahin Vassigh

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is the key driver for the teaching, research, and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as it bears responsibility for preparing engineers, scientists, technologists, and corporate leaders who shape and fuel its revolutionary advances. With AI and automation technologies relying on more advanced levels of training, and universities serving as the prime site for their development, faculty views on the implications of this technology are critically important.

The purpose of this case study was to gain insights into how academics and disciplinary experts perceive their roles and responsibilities in the teaching, development, and deployment of AI. Using FIU as …

The Impact Of Demographic, Academic, And Financial Variables On Predicting Four- And Six-Year Graduation At An Urban, Public, Hispanic-Serving Institution, Maria Rosado

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the rapid growth of the underrepresented population in the U.S., institutions of higher education have not experienced as rapid a growth in their underrepresented student population. Furthermore, it is estimated that in the next few years, more than 40% of jobs will require a postsecondary degree. As the underrepresented population continues to grow nationally and the job market is increasingly requiring job seekers to hold a postsecondary degree, it has become vital that the U.S. and states focus on educating and graduating its growing underrepresented population. The purpose of this study was to determine what demographic, academic, and financial …

Community Cultural Wealth In Latinx Applicants To Nationally Prestigious Awards, Susy Gomez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Latinx applicants to nationally prestigious awards that have an international component. Students from minoritized backgrounds are underrepresented in these awards (Gerz-Escandon, 2017; Brownstein, 2001; Pinto-Alicea, 2001). While research suggests that Latinx students often lack the resources, backgrounds, or preparation to excel in higher education (Gandara, 2017; Salas, 2016; Trevino & DeFreitas, 2014; Bastedo & Jaquette, 2011), community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) highlights less traditional types of capital that minority students bring to higher education.

Using narrative analysis, I examined the application stories of nine Latinx students who had applied …

Culture And Context's Influence On Hispanic Undergraduates' Perceptions Of Their Persistence Toward Stem Degree Attainment, Elsa I. Bravo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the influences of context and culture on Hispanic undergraduate’s in the STEM pipeline. Study one utilized systematic review methods to assess the effectiveness of STEM intervention programs on Hispanic undergraduates. A total of 45 STEM related databases were searched from March-September 2020 with no limitations. Although a total of 259 studies were identified, only one study was actually found to specifically focus on Hispanic populations and include empirically based evaluations. The one remaining study did not find a statistically significant intervention effect for four- year graduation rates. The lack of evidence highlights a gap in research or …

Neoliberalism And Kazakhstan's Emerging Higher Education Sysytem, Nazgul Bayetova

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union (USSR). The Kazakh Social Soviet Republic's Supreme Court declared the transition from a planned economy to a market economy in the early 1990s. The new market model in Kazakhstan has had a significant impact on its evolving higher education system. Less government spending and the creation of private universities in Kazakhstan were the core strategies that have been implemented under the neoliberal policies (Sabzalieva, 2017; Sagintayeva & Kurakbayev, 2015; Smirnova, 2014; Smolentseva, 2012; Smolentseva, Huisman, & Froumin, 2018). This study’s central question is how …

Is Price Why Students Don't Get Their Books? Undergraduate Acquisition Of Class Materials, Joseph Todd Patton

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of the acquisition of assigned textbooks and materials was conducted among 1,333 active undergraduates, exploring the widely reported phenomenon of two-thirds of students not getting all the books and materials assigned to them in their college classes. Current research focuses on high textbook & materials prices as the reason why students do not get assigned materials, and government policies are focused on bringing down these prices. This study’s major focus was investigating whether it is true that high prices explain why undergraduates do not get their assigned class materials. The findings suggest that price is not the reason …

The Activations Of Activism: An Ethnography Of Emotional Management, Gerson Sanchez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnography is to explore cultural context of college student activism, especially as it relates to identity. Much has been said about student activism in the higher education literature, but this literature has two major problems: first, it presupposes a pre-cursive existence of identity, and, second, it disconnects meaning-making from action. With regard to the first problem, activism scholars tend to take categories such as race, class, gender, and sexuality as given, thus reducing individuals to biological differences for the purposes of study. Instead of questioning how identities are created and constructed, such studies presuppose markers of …

Former Foster Youth And Their Pursuit Of A College Degree, Lori Ann Gionti

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this collected papers dissertation was to examine former foster youth as they pursue college. Foster youth are known to attend and graduate college at a rate lower than their non-fostered peers. Understanding more about the journey of former foster youth as they pursue a college degree will help to understand what barriers are faced and what supports enhance their likelihood of enrollment and graduation.

Study #1, a structured literature review, examined the scholarly literature on former foster youth and college. Data were collected through a library database search and Google Scholar. Descriptive, demographic-type information was compiled and …

Spatializing Student Engagement: A Phenomenological Study On Experiencing Space, Place, And A College Campus, Ivan Ceballos

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study examined how five college students understood their collegiate engagement in relation to spaces and places. The study’s purpose was to develop a spatialized understanding by describing the nature of meaningful student engagement as occurring within places and spaces. The problem addressed through this study is the treatment of engagement as understood through institutional metrics which reduce such a phenomenon to campus-centric and measurable place-based characteristics. As argued through this study’s framework and findings, experiencing a phenomenon such as engagement is a matter of lived experience and exists in relation to space and place. The participants’ lived …