Higher Education Commons^™

Effect Of Instructional Styles And The Duration Of Class Time On The Sense Of Classroom Community Of Military Urban Graduate Students, William J. Davis Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study measured the effect that instructional style, duration of class time, and repeated administrations of the Classroom Community Scale (CCS) had on the sense of classroom community of military urban graduate students (N = 263). The Instructional Styles Inventory (ISI) was used to determine instructional style, and the CCS was utilized to measure sense of classroom community. In addition, this research contained qualitative data that were extracted from a random sampling of participants during small focus groups.

Quantitative analysis of the data showed that duration of class time and instructional style had an effect on sense of classroom …

Perceptions Of Diversity Among Current And Former Students And Faculty In Three Graduate Programs, Margot E. Ackermann

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared the perceptions of diversity among current graduate students, former graduate students, and current faculty in three graduate programs. Sense of belonging, universality, openness to experience, diversity experiences, and perceptions of diversity were examined. Participants included 64 current students, 30 former students, and 15 faculty members in Old Dominion University's M.S. and Ph.D. programs in psychology and the Virginia Consortium Program's Psy.D. program. Solicited by either email or postal mail, participants completed an online survey that assessed demographic details and the variables of interest. After addressing data issues, Pearson's r examined the relationships among the dependent variables. ANOVAs …

Exploring Visual Journaling In A Graduate Art Therapy Program, Kathryn E. Dunn

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored visual journaling in the Graduate Art Therapy Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School, using a Participatory Action Research model. Eight students, from the art therapy class of 2004, and four faculty members volunteered and participated. Two complete cycles of inquiry were completed and changes were implemented within the program based on researcher collaboration with student and faculty stakeholders. Data consisted of questionnaires, magazine collages, and discussion material. Questionnaire and discussion data were analyzed by the researcher using direct question analysis. Themes of the artwork were pulled from stakeholders’ verbal and written comments. Results from the first cycle …

An Examination Of Relationships Of Reading And Writing Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Standardized Placement Test Scores, And Diverse Community College Students' Perceptions Of Those Relationships, Ann Woolford-Singh

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Social cognitive theory explains the role that one's level of confidence plays in the accomplishment of a specific task. According to Bandura (1982, 1995), self-efficacy beliefs should align with performance. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among reading/writing self-efficacy beliefs and reading/writing standardized placement test scores of diverse community college freshmen. Additionally, this study sought to understand the sources of these students' reading/writing self-efficacy beliefs through the descriptions of experiences they feel have influenced those beliefs.

There were three major research questions: (1) What is the strength of the relationships among reading/writing self-efficacy beliefs and reading/writing …

The Satisfaction And Perspectives Of Recent Graduates Of Accredited Post-Certification Graduate Athletic Training Programs As It Relates To Their Educational Experiences, Jacqueline R. Gaida

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the satisfaction and opinions of graduate athletic trainings students, who graduated from 2001-2003, as it relates to their programs. A list of graduate names and e-mail addresses from the fourteen accredited graduate programs were acquired through the GRC and the NATA on-line directory. Subjects were e-mailed a scripted letter and a link to the on-line survey. The survey consisted of a variety of questions that asked information regarding the subjects' graduate program style, clinical experience, job placement, reasons for program choice, certificates of added qualifications, curriculum satisfaction, clinical supervisor satisfaction, certification and …

Project-Based Freshmen Engineering Courses In Civil Engineering Technology, Vernon W. Lewis Jr., Carol L. Considine

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Old Dominion University (ODU) has developed two fundamental courses for freshmen engineering students. The first course introduces the fundamentals of the practice of engineering including innovation, creativity, design and manufacturing, commercialization, teaming skills, environmental impact, and ethics. The second course is an exploration of engineering and engineering technology disciplines with an emphasis on projects. The purpose of these courses is to engage the students in the application of engineering early in their course of study with the hope that their interest will be reinforced and the likelihood of their being retained as students will increase. The courses are divided into …

An Integration Of Pc Hardware & Software In Teaching Engineering Technology Courses, Steve Hsiung, Richard Jones

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

As technology advances, the price of a PC drops dramatically. This trend has resulted in PCs that are complex, powerful, and very affordable. Today's PC is a popular and essential tool in teaching software programming course(s) in C, C++, Visual Basic, or Java, running commercial software supporting courses in circuit simulation/design or circuit board layout, and acting as a workstation to gain access to the Internet or LAN networks. In most Engineering Technology curricula there is a limited amount of linkage between those PC applications. The actual effort to merge the hard-gained knowledge of hardware & software concepts together through …

Problem-Based Learning: Implications For The Allied Dental Sciences Program At Jordan University Of Science And Technology, Zain A. Malkawi

Dental Hygiene Master's Papers and Projects

The purpose of this paper is to review the problem-based learning literature and recommend changes to the Allied Dental Sciences curriculum at Jordan University of Science and Technology so that problem-based learning can be incorporated into the curriculum. Characteristics of problem-based learning include students' active participation in learning, and interpersonal skills development through discussion, social interaction, collaborative teams or tutorial groups. Problem-based education encourages students to develop communication and critical thinking competencies, enhance self-directedness and ownership of their own learning, and improve, students' knowledge, and independence. For example, two courses in the current Al lied Dental Sciences curriculum, Dental Radiology …

Competency-Based Education: Implications For Curricular Development Of The Allied Dental Science Program At The Jordan University Of Science And Technology, Suhair Ref' At Obeidat

Dental Hygiene Master's Papers and Projects

Preface:

The content of this document represents a review of the best practices and principles in competency-based dental and allied dental education. This information is offered in the spirit of collegiality with the intent of improving the allied dental education in general and the dental hygiene education in particular in Jordan. Recommendations presented should serve as a basis for discussion and decision-making by all involved in the Allied Dental Science Program education and administration at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, including the Dean of the Applied Medical Sciences Department and the Allied Dental Science Program Director and Faculty.

The Relationship Between Non-Completers' Decisions To Leave Certificate Programs Before Earning Certificates And Their Career Goals, Elizabeth M. Lohman

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The primary purpose of this research was to conduct a systematic study that investigated ways other than awarding certificates of completion to determine the effectiveness of community colleges' occupational-technical certificate programs. These programs are designed to provide students with the skills necessary to enter the workforce or receive promotions in existing employment, and they attract students whose primary goals are to gain the skills necessary to be more productive workers.

This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of fifteen occupational-technical certificate programs at Tidewater Community College (TCC) according to the institution's mission statement and to identify ways to encourage …

The Impact Of Place Of Residence On The Academic Achievement And Retention Of First-Time-In-College Students At An Urban Commuter University, Tameria Lee Vickerson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study explored the impact of place of residence on the academic achievement and retention of full-time, first-time-in-college students at an urban, public, primarily commuter university in the Southeast. Three groups of subjects were compared to ascertain if any group differences existed in regard to mean freshman grade point average, grades earned in a common course taken (Freshman English I), and retention into the second year of study. The three subject groups that were compared included residential learning community, traditional residence hall, and commuter students.

The subject groups were matched on the demographic characteristics of age, gender, and ethnicity and …

The Effect Of The Clery Act On Campus Judicial Practices, Dennis E. Gregory, Steven M. Janosik

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This article describes a study seeking to assess perceptions of campus judicial officers/members of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) regarding the effectiveness of the Clery Act (Campus Security Act) on campus judicial practices. In addition it provides information regarding overall effectiveness of Clery as perceived by the respondents. The researchers surveyed 1,143 members of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) whose institutions are covered by the Act. A total of 422 ASJA members returned questionnaires. This provided a response rate of 36.9%. The respondents included 39% Senior Student Affairs Officers who supervise a judicial conduct administrator, 44% …

A Comparison Of The Learning Styles Of Graduate Athletic Training Students And Their Demographic Characteristics, Jennifer Lynn Plant

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Using the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) and a self­ designed demographic survey, this study assessed the learning styles of students enrolled in a NATA approved graduate athletic training education program and compared the relationship between learning style preferences and the demographic characteristics of the graduate students. The PEPS survey is a 100-item Likert scale learning style inventory relating to 20 learning style elements of 4 domains: environmental, emotional, sociological, and physical. As part of the demographic research, participants completed measures assessing geographic, family, educational, and personal information.

Participants were 163 (55 men, 108 women) graduate athletic training students from …

Variables Associated With A Sense Of Classroom Community And Academic Persistence In An Urban Community College Online Setting, Cynthia P. Cadieux

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

No abstract provided.

Chipping Away At The Gendered Wall Implications For Being A Woman Sociologist, Rebecca Fogerty Grove

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what factors may determine productivity among sociology professors and factors that-affect promotions and hiring. In today's academic institutions, the gender barrier is considered nonexistent; however, the actual existence of the gender barrier is often apparent in departmental hiring decisions and university tenure policies. With knowledge of current, often subtle, biased standards, the gender barrier can begin to be dismantled to offer true equality for all potential and current professors. The data was collected in 2001, during the fall academic semester from departments of sociology (n=2 l 8). This thesis looks at the …

Distance Learning In Industrial Teacher Education Programs, Hassan B. Ndahi, John M. Ritz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

They Did Not Teach: Veterans' Experiences In A Mid-Career Transition Program At An Urban University, Joseph Franklyn Shipes

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This descriptive phenomenology examines the lived experiences of veterans who attempted a mid-career transition into teaching. The study identifies and describes experiences that led to the outcome decisions of 22 men who enrolled in a Military Career Transition Program (MCTP), completed a Master's Degree in Education, but did not become public school teachers. Self-descriptions of their experience were collected in multiple, open-ended interviews and analyzed using Moustakas's (1994) protocols.

Participants described a transition in four stages (a) preliminary conditions for change, (b) socialization and adjustment, (c) refocusing career goals, and (d) reflective assessment. Planning for career change began with ideal …

Seeing The One-To-One Writing Conference Through Owl Eyes: Reimagining The Voice Of Tutor, Madeline Yonker

English Theses & Dissertations

The one-to-one, face-to-face writing conference has long been hailed a godsend for struggling writers. The traditional IRL ("in real life") tutorial takes many shapes: (professor and student in office, tutor and student in library, tutor and student in writing center, etc.). When this writing conference moves into the MOO (Multi-User Domain, Object-Oriented), how does the environment affect student-tutor interaction? More specifically, what sorts of adjustments from the "normal" writing conference must be made in order for an effective conversation to occur in the synchronous OWL?

This project brings the one-to-one writing tutorial to distance learning students at Old Dominion University …

Post Doi Moi Urban Higher Education In The Socialist Republic Of Vietnam: The Case Of Hong Duc University, Jeanne Beth Natali

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is experiencing unprecedented peace and prosperity. Although Vietnam's war-damaged economy continued to decline for ten years after hostilities ended in 1975, everything changed in 1986 when doi moi, a moderate economic reform program, was introduced. Doi moi put enormous stress on higher education, whose function in the past had been to train workers for the state sector. Suddenly, higher education had to respond to the changing needs of Vietnamese society.

A 1992 educational sector study found that higher education was irrelevant to the needs of the transitional Vietnamese society. Universities were too small and …

Developing, Marketing And Evaluating Web-Based Library And Information Skills Tutorials At Old Dominion University, Cynthia Wright Swaine

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Confronted with an expanding distance learning program, a growing set of student expectations, and recent changes in general education requirements, the Library Instruction Team at Old Dominion University is addressing the related needs for new approaches to library instruction by creating a series of web-based tutorials.Confronted with an expanding distance learning program, a growing set of student expectations, and recent changes in general education requirements, the Library Instruction Team at Old Dominion University is addressing the related needs for new approaches to library instruction by creating a series of web-based tutorials.

The Validation Of A Detailed Strategic Planning Process Model For The Implementation Of Distance Education In Higher Education, Kenneth Phillip Pisel Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to develop, refine, and validate a model of the strategic planning process for distance education. To achieve this end, the informed opinion from a population of peer-nominated experts was solicited over three rounds of iterative Delphi questionnaires administered via electronic mail. Using descriptive statistics to analyze central tendency and variation, the straw model was refined into a validated model by the final Delphi round. In developing this model, the study answered specific questions about the following: (1) The impact of volatile technological change on a strategic distance education plan. (2) The optimum size and …

The Relationship Between Academic Self-Concept And The Achievement Expectancies On The Academic Achievement And Persistence Rate Of African-American Freshmen Students, Ira Falls Iii

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study addressed the use of certain noncognitive variables and their relationship to the academic achievement and persistence rate of African-American freshmen students attending a large, predominately white institution. Academic achievement was defined as a student's cumulative college grade point average and cumulative credits earned at the end of the freshmen year of study. Persistence rate was defined as the number of freshmen who enrolled compared to the percentage of those who re-enrolled for the Fall semester of their sophomore year. Moreover, the purpose of this study was to identify selected variables that are associated with increased African-American academic achievement …

Prototype Development For A Leak-Preventive Toilet Flush System- An Met Senior Design (Capstone) Project, Cheng Y. Lin

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

A senior design (Capstone) project for three mechanical engineering technology students at Old Dominion University is described. A prototype design is presented to perform the functional test of a leak-preventive toilet system. There are two major leaks in the toilet water tank. In the first case, leaking occurs when the seal in the water tank becomes aged. The leak is very easy to detect visually, since the outside of the tank and the floor becomes wet. In the second case, leak occurs when the flapper valve can't complete shut off the water, due to corrosion or damage of the rubber …

A Study Of Faculty Attitudes At Old Dominion University Toward The Use Of Technology In Higher Education, Charles R. Gray

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to uncover and analyze the attitudes, perceptions, and possible concerns of the faculty at Old Dominion University toward the use of new computer technologies in education. Level of experience with the use of new technologies is also examined. This project utilizes a sample of 207 full-time faculty members employed at Old Dominion University during the Spring 2000 semester.

Faculty members between the ages of 24 and 34 had significantly more experience with the use of new computer technologies than did those faculty members who were 50 or more years of age. Faculty members who …

Implementation Theory And Determinants For Success: A Case Study Of Televised Distance Learning Implementation In An Urban University, Deanne Shuman

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation process of a distance learning initiative using televised instruction in an urban university. The scope and complexity of problems faced by colleges and universities today are growing, and public institutions are being asked to do more with less. Despite limited budgets and stretched resources, institutions are expected to be responsive to the challenges of change. Distance learning using televised instruction, which brings the classroom to the learner, is an available technology that can be responsive to students' diverse needs.

This study explores factors that facilitated or served as barriers in …

International Student-Athlete Adjustment To College: A Preliminary Analysis, Lynn L. Ridinger, Donna L. Pastore

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

This preliminary investigation was undertaken to determine how well international student–athletes adjusted to college relative to their domestic teammates and the general student body. The results revealed that international student-athletes were significantly more well-adjusted to college than international nonathletes. International student–athletes adjusted to college as well as students and student–athletes from the United States. Results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size. The effects of gender and ethnicity on adjustment to college were also examined.

Identification Of Noncognitive Factors As Predictors Of Freshman Academic Performance And Retention In A Community College Setting, Mark Fallon Freeze

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study identified noncognitive factors (via the use of discriminant analysis) that impact freshmen academic performance and retention in a community college setting. The study used a modified version of the Freshman Survey, that had been validated for use at an urban four-year institution, to determine the predictive validity of the instrument for use with first semester freshmen in a two-year college setting. Existing research suggests that cognitive factors can, at most, explain 10 to 20 percent of the variance in student retention and academic performance. The remainder (approximately 80 percent) of the variance in student academic performance and …

A Comparison Of Cognitive Development Between Whites And African Americans Based On William Perry's Scheme Of Intellectual And Ethical Development, Joan Johnson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study compared cognitive complexity between student groups based on cultural background and academic class utilizing William Perry's (1970) cognitive theory of intellectual and ethical development. In addition, the study examined the influence of gender and socioeconomic status (SES) on cognitive development. The goal was to ascertain whether Perry's theory, developed from his research on a relatively homogeneous college student population without consideration of the impact of a culturally diverse environment, would be valid for culturally diverse students.

The research design employed to investigate cognitive development used a cross-sectional sample of entering freshmen and graduating seniors attending a predominantly White, …

Computer Crime: Software Piracy Among College Students, Stephanie E. Stockdale

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

There is a limited amount of research covering the topic of computer software piracy. Few studies focus specifically on software piracy, while the vast majority looks at various forms of unauthorized access and computer hacking. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether students possess attitudes that are supportive of computer-software piracy. Here, attitude means the feeling one has about a certain topic. Operationally, attitude is defined as holding a favorable or unfavorable view of computer-software piracy. Eight research hypotheses are proposed. In order to explore the research question and test the hypotheses, a thirty-six-item questionnaire was administered to …

Cultural Adaptability Of Students Attending Culturally Diverse And Non-Culturally Diverse Dental Hygiene Programs, Katrina White Magee

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive investigation was to determine the cultural adaptability of students attending culturally diverse and nonculturally diverse dental hygiene programs throughout the U.S. The dental hygiene schools were identified according to their ethnic diversity as reported by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation in the 1996-1997 Survey of Dental Hygiene Education Programs. Once the programs were identified, a random sample was taken from the diverse and non-diverse dental hygiene programs. A 50-item inventory, the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI), was mailed to the participating dental hygiene programs. One-hundred eighty-eight students represented U.S. dental hygiene programs in the …