Higher Education Commons^™

Privilege, Power, And Marginalization: Creating Teacher Alliances For An Inclusive International School Community, Clarence Kerry Best

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

NXS began as an experimental bilingual school in a major urban city in Taiwan. Over its twenty-year history, the school transitioned from offering English language instruction for local students to a fully WASC accredited and IB authorized World School. The foreign staff grew from a few staff to comprising two-thirds of the 150-teaching faculty. Despite the size and potential impact of foreign teachers, they have no voice in the school, are excluded from setting the direction of the school, and are largely absent from the life of the school community. Limited opportunities for advancement and intense competition result from few …

Moving Toward Wellness: A Transformative Approach To Addressing Inadequacies In Mental Health Supports For Indigenous Youth In Residential Treatment Resource, Tsion Tekie

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Indigenous youth are overrepresented in the child welfare system in Canada. Organization X, a Ministry of Children and Families program provider, has made significant efforts to address the needs of Indigenous youth in care, including creating the Residential Treatment Resources (RTR) program. While behavioural-focused RTR program is an important step in the right direction, the program fails to address the causal mental health needs, which has resulted in high numbers of recidivism among Indigenous youth after discharge. After careful review of the literature, the possible solutions revealed mental health counselling is a vital supportive resource required for this population. Additionally, …

Supporting The Integration Of Internationally Educated Teachers To Foster Equitable Schools, Nadine Trépanier-Bisson

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Within a change process grounded in constructivist and transformative worldviews, internationally educated teachers (IETs), an underemployed group in the education sector, can support equity efforts in Ontario schools. The Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) presents an overview of the organizational and environmental factors that contribute to the necessity for change and which influence the change process. A new way of supporting equity work in schools is proposed through a dual change process intended to bring change at the principal organization (meso) and in schools (micro). Kotter’s (2012) eight-stage process is embedded within Cawsey et al.’s (2016) change path model to support …

Increasing And Supporting Gender Equity, Diversity And Inclusion Within Service X: Interrogating Leadership, Recruitment And Culture, Gary Conn

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Abstract

Police services across Canada have been criticized for years surrounding their lack of equity, diversity and inclusion of females within their respective organizations. The problem of practice (POP) addressed in this organizational improvement plan (OIP), analyzes and focuses on the lack of female recruits applying to Service X. A gap and PESTE analysis identified three main areas of focus to effect organizational change associated to this organizational improvement plan. Recruitment and a need for examining the fitness testing of the constable selection system along with implementing advance/proactive recruitment interventions. Organizational culture and a plan for implementing a robust training …

Disrupting The Status Quo: Leveraging Collective Teacher Efficacy For The Achievement And Wellbeing Of Bipoc And Low Socioeconomic Students, Marjorie E. Macdonald

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Abstract

At Mel Morgan Middle School (MMMS) a high percentage of students are of low socioeconomic status (SES). Compounding this problem is data which shows that students at MMMS also experience significant academic challenges. Educational challenges for students of low SES are like those experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC). Faculty beliefs and assumptions about how to effectively educate students from low SES and BIPOC communities are posited as a problem beyond their control. Despite the Legacy Regional Centre for Education’s (LRCE) commitment to student success through policies and documents such as student success planning, inclusive education, …

Reframing Behaviour To Foster Safe And Supporting Schools, Shannon L. Cassidy-Rouleau

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines educator support to students who present with chronically challenging behaviours. Educators are experiencing an increase in the frequency and severity of interfering student behaviours affecting classroom learning, school climate, and educator mental well-being (RRDSB, 2018a, 2019b; Santor et al., 2019). Educators frequently disengage from these students and their discipline is managed by administration (RRDSB, 2019b). These students, often already members of marginalized communities (Bailey, 2015), are further marginalized by the use of exclusionary, punitive measures. This mandates a social justice framework that benefits from the moral dialogue evoked by transformative leadership (Shields, 2018). In …

Education Technology: A Story Of Faith, Community, And A Vision For Change, Brenda Becker

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores technology use at Traditional Christian School (a pseudonym), a small, independent Christian school in British Columbia. The Problem of Practice (PoP) recognizes a gap between how teachers currently use education technology (EdTech) and how it could be used for greater impact. In this self-proclaimed traditional school, technology is primarily used to support teacher-directed learning; however, with teachers as change agents, effective integration of EdTech could enable a shift to student-centredness that gives students agency over their learning. Nevertheless, understanding of the transformative nature of EdTech is minimally evident at TCS, possibly because barriers based …

Towards A Common Vision For Innovation: Making Sense Of Complexity In A Health Sciences Program, Nina L. Blanes

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The growing use of digital educational technologies in higher education has seen considerable change resulting in significant institutional energies directed towards maintaining currency with today’s emerging trends. The move to digital transformation is an inevitable assumption and generally positively accepted by academia. Despite this, technology integration has emerged in an ad hoc and reactive fashion rather than purposeful and strategic. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the need for a shared vision for technology adoption across a health sciences program in a mid-sized institution. Although faculty participate enthusiastically in developing curricular initiatives, their roles and engagement with technology visioning are …

Two-Eyed Seeing To Support Indigenous Education, Mark Dolmont Mr.

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its 94 ‘calls to action’ to address the atrocities of residential schools, while providing guidance to support reconciliation. Education was identified as one area where reform is necessary. Within the Nikosis Public School Division (NPSD) (a pseudonym), Indigenous students experience significantly lower academic results than their non-Indigenous peers. The colonized approach to education founded heavily on Eurocentric ideology lacks cultural connections that relate to Indigenous students. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) will focus on Buffalo Elementary (a pseudonym) and look to support stronger cultural connections as a method to provide …

Igniting Change In Equity, Diversity And Inclusion At A Canadian Community College Coll, Jennifer Phyllis Gorman

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan addresses the need to develop an equity, diversity, and inclusion strategy that will lead to systematic institutional and cultural change at Mountain College (a pseudonym). This organizational improvement plan draws upon transformational and ethical leadership principles to gain support and momentum from across all levels of the College to develop a shared vision for change and reach the new organizational state. Bolman and Deal's (2013) four frames have been used as a strategic tool to examine Mountain College and identify the actions and decisions the team can take in the organizational improvement process. Following this analysis, …

Improving Stem Graduate Students' Mental Health And Wellbeing, Aneesa Khan

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

An emerging problem with graduate education is the unprecedented rise in mental health and wellbeing concerns across higher education institutions in Canada. Graduate education is widely associated with emotional, physical, and psychological stress. Graduate students are at risk of the onset of mental health illnesses due to a culture of acceptance that graduate studies is synonymous with stress and anxiety. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores approaches to improve the mental health and wellness of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) graduate students to promote their personal wellbeing and academic success. The goal of my Problem of Practice (PoP) is …

Exploring The Impact Of Performance-Based Funding Policy Reform: The Role Of Institutional Research In Supporting Data-Driven Decision-Making, Jelena Dukic

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The institutional pressures placed on the Ontario college system, exercised through funding model reform, brought forward organizational challenges difficult for even the most fiscally savvy to navigate. The enrollment corridor mechanism and the expansion of the proportions of the differentiation envelope to create a performance-based grant, implemented via the 2020-25 Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA3), demonstrate the Provincial Government’s calls for efficiencies and accountability and the alignment of institutional and provincial priorities. Remaining financially sustainable while moving from performance reporting to performance funding and weathering the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic requires a solid understanding of not only enrollment challenges and …

Girls As Thriving Leaders: Cultivating A Community Of True Belonging In An All-Girls School, Lisa A. Ziebart

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In an all-girls school, what conditions are required to authentically cultivate a community of true belonging? This inquiry explores what girls need in schools today to support each other now and as women. This Organization Improvement Plan is developed for an all-girls Canadian independent school. Challenges in maintaining true belonging stem from the systemic, patriarchal structure of education. This gap creates a culture of scarcity and competition, which leads to intragender microaggression. To implement change in this organization as an informal leader and teacher, I use a participatory-based approach that aligns with the feminist-transformative theoretical lens. The ethic of community …

Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion In Alberta Accredited International Schools: Bridging Modern And Traditional Societal Perspectives In Educational Practice, Krista J. Schultz

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

International schools accredited by Western-based educational paradigms encounter specific challenges within the theoretical framework of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), as perceived through the lens of social justice in education. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) considers, from the context of modern and traditional societies, the change readiness of the Alberta Accredited International Schools program (AAIS) surrounding the practice of EDI. Generalized expectations of universal application present with factors that may provide educational leaders with the framework to deliberate critical theory motivating practice. Modernist and traditionalist societal views of EDI, and the translation of pedagogical frameworks through educational reform, are considered. …

Intercultural Encounters: Creating Purposeful Interactions Between Domestic And International Students, Tanya Missere Mihas

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Considering that internationalization has become an important component of many universities’ strategic plans, universities might want to expand efforts to increase Internationalization-at-Home initiatives. With the increasing number of international students on Canadian campuses, an opportunity exists to enhance both domestic and international students’ understanding of global issues and their impact on societies throughout the world. The Problem of Practice (PoP) addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is leveraging the opportunity to create purposeful interactions between domestic and international students within a small, yet divided, University College. Foundational to this OIP are leadership approaches, including systems, adaptive, and distributed leadership, …

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 …

Utilizing Academic Advising Services To Improve First-Year Student Retention Outcomes, Dan Crouse

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Student retention is an issue that impacts most post-secondary institutions in Canada. For the majority of these institutions, the student retention issue is most acute in first-year students. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) seeks to address the Problem of Practice (PoP) of poor first-year student retention outcomes within a mid-sized post-secondary institution in Ontario (University X). Specifically, it explores the vital role that academic advisors play in retaining post-secondary students. With flat domestic enrollment numbers and challenges facing the international student market coupled with a restructured provincial government funding model, retaining students has become more important than ever before. Failure …

Better Together: Fostering Student-Level Intercultural Competence Through Collaborative Online International Learning (Coil) And A Collaboratively Created Assessment Tool, Wes Armstrong

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Many Japanese universities have been undergoing processes of internationalization to mitigate demographic realities that conspire against robust student enrolments. These internationalization initiatives often attract students from other Confucian-based contexts who are expected to move away from their homeland and fully integrate into an unfamiliar, Japanese environment. Resultantly, international student needs are often camouflaged by cultural similarities that favour group harmony and collectivism over more equitable approaches to learning. Therefore, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to serve student needs by fostering the development of intercultural competencies through a pilot collaborative online international learning (COIL) project open to all students, and …

The Growth And Development Of Institutional Reputation, Neil A. Mort Mr

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Higher education institutions spend considerable effort developing and maintaining quality educational programs and experiences for their students. However, these great programs and experiences can become best kept secrets if the institution is unknown. A positive reputation can contribute to student recruitment; successful career placement for graduates; greater retention of students, faculty, and staff; overall student satisfaction; and greater opportunities for the institution. A poor reputation, on the other hand, can negatively impact its success in recruitment; graduate career placements; and student, faculty, and staff retention. How does an institution develop and build a positive reputation and become more widely known …

Fostering Collaboration Between Local Heis And Global Professional Engineering Organization, Helder F. Pinheiro Mr

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) proposes a change process to foster collaboration between a not-for-profit engineering organization and higher education institutions (HEIs) situated in the Central Ontario Region. This OIP will help students create successful conditions to transition from HEIs to workplaces by providing them with support from a multidisciplinary team, including professional engineers. Support will be needed to engage students in events that underscore creativity, critical thinking, communication, and other leadership competencies for facing 21st-century challenges. As a section chair, I will work as a change initiator/participant with a guiding coalition encompassing students, faculty members, HEI administrators, and executives …

The Internationalization Of A Sexual Violence Policy, Kristin J. O'Rourke

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

ABC University (ABCU; a pseudonym) is a Canadian university that has seen a significant increase in international students in the past several years. Institutional infrastructure has not fully adjusted to the new student demographic, meaning that processes, policies, and resources still cater to domestic student needs. The problem of practice (PoP) addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is the lack of intercultural perspectives and international student considerations represented in the ABCU 2020 sexual violence policy draft. Policies that protect student health and well-being must be inclusive and responsive to the needs of the student population. Drawing on recommendations outlined …

Developing And Implementing A Middle School Program To Improve Student Well-Being And Bolster Enrollment, Tyler Sherwood

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

During the adolescent years, which coincide with the years of middle school, a student’s inward sense of self-awareness shifts to an acute awareness of others’ perception of them. More so than any other period in a student’s development, it is the middle years where their physical, emotional, and cognitive changes are on full display to everyone around them. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), based on a research-driven understanding that the middle years of school present unique challenges in all aspects of student life, looks to develop and implement a middle school program that addresses the unique needs of adolescent students …

The Conundrum Of Collaboration: Examining Collaboration As A Continuum Towards Professional Learning, Scott Harold Tavares Burnside

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Stories are a collaborative effort between teller and listener; utilizing the First Nations Métis Inuit (FNMI) tradition of Storytelling, this organizational improvement plan recounts the story of teacher collaboration at Ginkendan Secondary School (GSS, a pseudonym). A systems theory lens will be employed to frame a problem of contrived collegiality, a state of perfunctory collaboration resulting from dictated professional development that does not lead to professional learning. A feedback loop of teacher-derived professional learning will be investigated to propel teachers forward on a conceptual framework of a collaboration continuum. Comfortable collaboration, a stage where teachers are empowered to address their …

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 …

Supporting Faculty In Responding To Distressed Students, Karolina E. Kulinska

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The increased numbers of students struggling with mental health problems require faculty to increase their competence and confidence in working with distressed students. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), I explore this problem of practice, pursuing improved mental health literacy among higher education faculty and an enhanced ability to recognize signs of distress and employ role-appropriate interventions. A mentally healthy and supportive learning environment improves student engagement and academic achievement; therefore, it is pedagogically relevant. Well-being and mental health-related knowledge and a helpful network of colleagues can help faculty respond to distressed students. This OIP is rooted in the Okanagan …

Addressing The Skills Awareness Gap Through Impactful On-Campus Employment, Jennifer M. Browne

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The pressure and expectations on institutions of higher education to ensure that graduates are equipped with the skills required to successfully transition from a learning environment to the work force are increasing. Growing societal and political expectations to effectively prepare post-secondary graduates for successful career outcomes are intensifying. Ongoing criticism from employers indicates that many new graduates lack career readiness to enter the workforce, due to the absence of required skills, often referred to as a skills gap. These skills are regularly identified as soft, human, or non-technical, and transferrable across multiple settings. This Organizational Improvement Plan counters that …

Citizenship Education In Neoliberal Times, Elissar Gerges

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In pursuit of continuous rather than episodic change, this organizational improvement plan uses Kotter’s (2014) framework for organizational change, embedded within the PDSA cycle, to create a professional development community at the school. The school’s mission is focused on citizenship, but implementation is still an area of action. The compliance culture at the school and the dominant transactional leadership approach have influenced the enactment of the school’s mission throughout the various high school departments. Using a conceptual framework adapted from Hackman’s (2002) framework for building a collaborative environment, this improvement plan explores how a private school in Ontario can implement …

Enhancing Experiential Learning Opportunities Through The Integration Of Continuous Improvement Practices, Alena Shah Ms.

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Experiential learning (EL) in higher education has become a prominent academic curriculum component. Recent provincial guidelines emphasize that post-secondary institutions provide students EL opportunities, outlining criteria as to what counts as an EL activity. While these guidelines provide instruction on what an EL opportunity should contain, it does not detail how post-secondary institutions should develop and implement these activities responsive to their unique student population needs. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to determine how an Ontario university can provide meaningful, student-focused EL opportunities through a centralized, theoretically-informed EL implementation framework. It centers around a Problem of Practice (PoP) at …

Increasing Collaboration Between Noncredit Staff And Credit Faculty, Dimitra Fotopoulos

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) focused on two specific stakeholder groups within a liberal arts postsecondary institution in western Canada: the noncredit faculty (NCF) and academic faculties. A third group, the external community, is also a key stakeholder that will benefit from the OIP through relevant programming for work-ready graduates. The NCF, in which noncredit certificates, diplomas, and professional development programs are offered, is tasked with revenue generation. It is an outward facing arm of the organization, with a strong focus on building relationships with the business and nonprofit community. The goals of the academic faculties are to develop and …

Military-Connected Students In Higher Education: A Canadian Approach, Darryl G. Cathcart

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Canadian military-connected students are adult learners who maintain a significant tie to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and who enter higher education without the benefit of purposefully crafted academic and social supports. When CAF service members move from the collective nature of the military to individual pursuits in civilian society, transition difficulties occur. While there is a dearth of Canadian-specific research on military-connected students, the US context can help contextualize this higher education issue for a greater understanding of inclusion difficulties. Based on a transformative research paradigm, this organizational improvement plan (OIP) looks to provide a voice to this underrepresented …