Redefining Retention: Analyzing The Experiences Of Black Men In Higher Education Through The Lens Of Race, Masculinity, And Strength-Based Approaches, Roderick Waters

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Black male students have continued to face systemic challenges in higher education, particularly at historically White institutions (HWIs), where they experience lower retention and graduation rates compared to their peers. Although enrollment numbers have increased, institutional barriers, racialized campus environments, and deficit-based narratives have continued to contribute to disparities in academic success. Much of the existing research has focused on the challenges Black male students encounter rather than the strategies, relationships, and institutional conditions that support their persistence. This study sought to shift that focus by exploring the lived experiences of Black men who persisted at an HWI through an …

Experiential Learning In Marketing Education: Student Reflections In A Client Based Project, Samit Chakravorti

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This paper explores student experience with a client based project in an upper division marketing class and its impact on development of work readiness skills, learning and satisfaction with the course. The client was a local small business food cooperative. Student reflection papers submitted at the end of the project were content analyzed based on preset categories to understand the impact of the project on the outcome variables. Analysis shows that for most students the project was interesting, relevant but challenging, increased their satisfaction and enjoyment of the course, and positively impacted learning of profession specific and foundational work ready …

Beyond The Survey: Performance Assessments For Higher-Order Sustainability Literacy In Higher Education, Gregory Vincent Massara, Courtney B. Ryan, Mary Ellen Mallia

Educational Policy & Leadership Other Graduate Student Scholarship

Purpose This study explores how a performance-based assessment measures students’ higher-order sustainability competencies in ways that multiple-choice or scaled-survey tools, common ways to assess sustainability literacy, may not.

Design/Methodology/Approach This exploratory case study created a performance task for a first-year honors writing and critical inquiry course. Students (n=9) analyzed a scenario across environmental, social, and economic domains. A rubric measured students’ abilities to address all three domains and articulate a feasible and balanced solution supported by credible evidence.

Findings Students demonstrated proficiency in defining the three sustainability domains but tended to struggle to balance them. Choosing scenarios in familiar local …

University Students’ Attitudes Toward And Intentions To Use Generative Ai In The Classroom: Findings From Pre- And Post-Genai Teaching Initiative Surveys, Yanfeng Xu, Hengtao Tang, Gareth Rees-White, Oz Ince, Allison Byxbe, Michael Stoeltzner, Gloria Washington, Shan Qiao, Sicheng Wang, Mercy S. Namateng, Omar Roy

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study aimed to examine and compare factors associated with support for integrating GenAI into classroom settings and the intention to use GenAI tools in future education among students in pre- and post-GenAI teaching initiative surveys in an R1 university in the United States. Online surveys via Qualtrics were administered at the start and end of the Fall 2024 semester. Descriptive and bivariate analyses and ordered logistic regression models were conducted. In the pre-GenAI teaching initiative survey, significant predictors associated with students’ support for GenAI tools were students’ interest in GenAI and perceived usefulness. Significant predictors associated with their intention …

Ai Strategies For Effective Teaching & Learning, Dr. Jared Johnston, Prof. Adrian Caraballo

Faculty Presentations on AI

This presentation discusses strategies for effectively integrating artificial intelligence into college classrooms, with a focus on developing AI literacy among students and faculty. Core principles highlight AI as a tool for augmentation rather than replacement, with faculty maintaining oversight while supporting learner preparation, clinical reasoning, and reflective practice. The session stresses the need to rethink course and activity design in the AI era, training students to strategically offload tasks without cognitively offloading thinking. Practical guidance includes questions for intentional integration, experiential learning approaches, and real-world classroom examples from operational leadership courses in which students apply AI within authentic educational leadership …

The Lived Experiences Of Higher Education Leaders Participating In Leadership Training Programs: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study, Rashida Dunn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to interpret the experiences of higher education leaders who participated in cohort leadership development training programs in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Mezirow’s transformative learning theory as it was used to explore higher education leaders’ lived experiences of leaders participating in a cohort training program. Transformative learning theory posits concepts by comparing and connecting them to individuals understanding existing principles. The central research question was what are the lived experiences of higher education leaders participating in leadership training programs. The qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology research introduced by van Manen …

Flex, Pivot, Sustain: Adaptive Design Of Promise Programs, Michelle Miller-Adams, Jennifer Iriti

Reports

The design of a Promise program or place-based college scholarship requires community partners to make three key decisions: 1) Which students are eligible, 2) Where can students use the scholarship?, and 3) How should the scholarship be structured? Changes in available funding may affect all three decisions. This practice brief, developed in conjunction with the Kresge Foundation, lays out key principles for redesigning Promise programs when available funding changes, providing three case study examples to illustrate how program officials navigated redesign choices.

Examining Academics’ Decision-Making Processes And Implementation Challenges Of Blended Learning Models For Future Higher Education, Devrim Akgunduz, Aysegul Kinik Topalsan

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: Blended learning has gained increasing attention in higher education as a hybrid approach that integrates face-to-face and online modalities. This study investigates academics’ decision-making processes and challenges in implementing blended learning models to inform future educational practices.

Methods: An exploratory case study design was employed. Data were obtained from academics representing multiple faculties who participated in a professional development program on technological approaches and learning models. Participants completed the Blended Learning Sub-Model Preparation Form, which was analyzed to identify preferences and challenges in adopting blended learning.

Results: Findings reveal a clear preference for sub-models such as the flipped classroom, …

Ai In The Classroom, Dr. Adrian E. Hinkle, Dr. Amanda Wilson, Dr. Jan H. R. Wörner

Faculty Presentations on AI

This presentation examines how educators can thoughtfully integrate artificial intelligence into the classroom while upholding academic integrity, ethical engagement, and the core mission of education. It draws on historical parallels—from ancient concerns about writing to later fears surrounding typing—to frame AI as a double-edged sword that can offload routine cognitive tasks yet risks eroding the mental discipline and critical thinking essential for deep learning. Centered on the guiding question of what students truly need to learn and how technology can help them achieve it, the session offers practical assignment frameworks, such as designing an AI-supported ministry plan and developing a …

Submission To The Decadal Plan For Australian Education Research Consultation Paper, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Shaping educational policy

This submission to the Decadal Plan for Australian Education Research Consultation Paper recognises a critical role for education research is to equip educators, leaders and systems with robust information, tools and practices to confidently inform decision-making about teaching, learning, and leadership. The submission highglights the importance of First Nations-led research, and an inclusion mindset for education research and AI as a tool for learning as key to justice, quality and equity for all. ACER understands that the field of education is highly interconnected and draws on evidence from multiple disciplines; it follows that collaboration in education research is the key …

Zooming Into Success: Collaborative Virtual Spaces For Dissertation Research And Pedagogy In Higher Education, Stephanie L. Brooke

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Dissertation students face numerous challenges, including narrowing down research topics, managing scholarly writing, and overcoming writer’s block. This article explores the creation and piloting of collaborative virtual spaces designed to support dissertation mentees in their academic journey. Through this project, three distinct virtual spaces emerged, each addressing specific student needs: emotional support, academic writing, and research alignment. The development of these spaces was influenced by theory as well as workplace cultural initiatives in an online program for dissertation mentoring. Creating these collaborative virtual spaces based on student needs led to transformative best practices in virtual learning environments. This method provides …

Ai In Scholarship, Dr. Tim Hart

Faculty Presentations on AI

This presentation explores the appropriate role of artificial intelligence in scholarly work, distinguishing between uses that support academic rigor and those that undermine intellectual responsibility. While cautioning against reliance on AI for original argumentation, unverified literature reviews, data interpretation, and normative judgments, it highlights practical applications across the research lifecycle, including ideation, literature exploration, argument refinement, structural analysis, reviewer simulation, and manuscript preparation.

From Milan To Murmansk – Lisbon To Lake Louise: Conceptualizing The Meaning Of Internationalization In Higher Education, May-Kristin Vespestad

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

Internationalization is an academic goal and quality measure in higher education, driven by governmental policies and target numbers of mobility, where quantitative measures are the norm. Discussions of what internationalization means and why it is regarded as important need further conceptualization in a higher education context. This is the first longitudinal autoethnography to discuss the meaning of internationalization. The present study makes noteworthy contributions to international higher education literature and practice. Based on the conceptual framework of value co-creation and consumer value theory, the study offers a conceptualization of internationalization. It establishes that internationalization cannot be driven by quantitative measures …

2025 Jcihe State Of The Field: An Annual Report, Rosalind L. Raby

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

The Journal of Comparative and International Education (JCIHE) presents the 2025 Annual Report. This report shows the growing readership for the journal, the diversification of authors, and the range of topics being published. A key finding from this report is that it shows how JCIHE is meeting its goals for increasing visibility and for increasing the diversity of authorship and their global institutional affiliations.

The Lived Experiences Of Nontraditional Students And The Innovative Strategies Higher Education Leaders Can Implement To Support Their Success: A Phenomenological Study, Fernando Jose De Oliveira Castro

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the experiences and strategies employed by nontraditional college students to achieve academic success at public universities in Massachusetts. Nontraditional student experiences were generally defined as the ways in which adult learners, part-time students, and those balancing work and family responsibilities navigated challenges, used support systems, and developed strategies to persist in higher education. The central research questions this study was: How do innovative strategies and support systems contribute to the lived experiences of nontraditional students’ success in Massachusetts’s higher education institutions? I employed Ryan and Deci’s (2017) self-determination theory to …

Fostering Psychological Ownership And Self-Authorship In Higher Education: Pathways To Student Engagement, Growth And Knowledge Creation, Noora Heino, Markku Ikävalko, Anssi Tarkiainen, Terhi Virkki-Hatakka

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This study explores the intersection of psychological ownership (PO) and self-authorship (SA) in the context of university students’ project-based learning. It examines how students develop a sense of ownership over their course projects, ideas, and knowledge they create, and how this engagement shapes their learning, identity, and sense of self. The findings highlight the role of control and perceived idea quality in fostering psychological ownership, as well as the importance of intimate knowledge and perceived object quality in supporting self-authorship. The study underscores that when students feel connected to their ideas, their motivation, persistence, and engagement increase, especially in creativity-driven …

Experiential Learning Through Electric Vehicle Design Using Lego Technics Parts, Abdullah Amin

High-Impact Experiential Learning in Practice: Pedagogical Essays Guided by the PIRA Framework

Abdullah Al Amin is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

This reflection presents a Lego Technics-based electric vehicle design project that connects mechanics, materials, and fatigue analysis through hands-on prototyping and PIRA-aligned assessment.

Walking The Earthworks: Indigenous Literature, Place, And Embodied Learning, Tereza M. Szeghi

High-Impact Experiential Learning in Practice: Pedagogical Essays Guided by the PIRA Framework

Tereza Szeghi is a professor in the Department of English.

This essay examines a place-based experiential learning trip to the Newark Earthworks that integrates Indigenous literature, guided immersion, student reflection, and assessment using the PIRA framework.

Community, Art, And Hope: Writing, Public Humanities, And Community-Engaged Learning In East Dayton, Maureen (Molly) Keane-Sexton

High-Impact Experiential Learning in Practice: Pedagogical Essays Guided by the PIRA Framework

Maureen (Molly) Keane-Sexton is a principal lecturer in the Department of English.

This reflection documents a community-engaged partnership with the Mosaic Institute in East Dayton, where students created public art while applying writing instruction, Catholic Social Teaching, and PIRA-guided reflection.

Ethical Community Engagement And Leadership Development In A Community-Partnered Course, Joy Kadowaki

High-Impact Experiential Learning in Practice: Pedagogical Essays Guided by the PIRA Framework

Joy Kadowaki is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work.

This essay describes a semester-long, community-partnered leadership project in which students collaborated with Five Oaks residents to co-create neighborhood storytelling tools grounded in ethical community engagement and PIRA.

From Simulation To Fabrication: Integrating Fluid Power Theory And Hands-On Laboratory Design, Sean Cahill

High-Impact Experiential Learning in Practice: Pedagogical Essays Guided by the PIRA Framework

Sean Cahill is a faculty of practice in the Department of Engineering Management, Systems, and Technology.

This report examines the integration of simulation and hands-on laboratory work in fluid power systems, showing how ELIFF-supported equipment strengthened alignment across preparation, immersion, reflection, and assessment.

Development And Initial Validation Of The Comprehensive Ai Integration Readiness Survey (Caiirs), Richard D. Amoako, Jennifer A. Morrow

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force in higher education, improving learning and optimizing administrative operations. However, the adoption and integration of AI in learning environments have received limited research attention until recently. Consequently, this research aimed to develop and validate a scale to assess readiness and preparedness among higher education faculty members for the integrative adoption of AI in learning and teaching practices. A nationwide survey was used to collect data from faculty at universities and colleges in the United States. The CAIIRS scale was developed after an extensive review of scholarly literature. Exploratory factor analysis was …

White Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions Of Faculty Of Color, Jeffrey Cross

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Despite decades of initiatives that promote the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, the percentage of faculty who identify as people of Color still remains low. Experiences of discrimination and marginalization from White faculty colleagues and White students has been commonly reported by faculty of Color. While studies have examined these experiences from the faculty perspective, research addressing White students’ experiences with faculty of Color has been sparse. The purpose of this study was to examine White undergraduate students’ perceptions of faculty of Color at predominately White institutions and how these students understand the influence of racial …

A Phenomenologically Informed Study Of Black Male Preservice Teachers’ Lived Experiences: Professional Socialization, Social Representation, And The Redesign Of Teacher Education For Equity, William A. Anders

Student Theses

This qualitative research explores the experiences of Black male preservice teachers in New York City’s teacher education programs. To examine the underrepresentation of Black male preservice teachers, the research employs Critical University Studies and Critical Race Theory to investigate the institutional barriers they face. Using semi-structured interviews with seven participants and reflexive thematic analysis, the findings revealed six paramount themes: Pathways in Teaching, Representation and Identity, Experiences in Teacher Education, Racial Bias and Institutional Challenges, the Role of Mentorship and Support Networks, and Teaching Philosophy.

Participants described the challenges that Black male preservice teachers face, including isolation, economic hardships, unsuitable …

Procedure To Evaluate Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Output For Educational And Clinical Tasks, Lynn Gilbertson, Cody Marie Busch, Jon Spike, Kaitlin Demoss, Jae Thompson

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

As generative artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more ubiquitous and accessible, there is a call to promote awareness, implementation, and evaluation skills among AI users. Free AI platforms offer unprecedented opportunities to transform how education and healthcare tasks are approached. However, a process for evaluating AI output has yet to be standardized. The current study implemented a structured process for guiding graduate and undergraduate students through critical evaluations of various AI platforms, promoting students' critical thinking and career readiness.

Aligning Higher Education Preparation Programs With Workforce Needs: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Jeffrey M. Warren

Perspectives In Learning

While institutes of higher education are highly dynamic, academic programs and faculty within them often operate in an isolated, independent manner. As a result, the training they deliver can lack the interdisciplinary perspectives students need to navigate a diverse and evolving workforce successfully. This editorial explores the importance of interdisciplinary training and discusses the challenges college students who lack exposure to collaborative, integrative learning face as they transition to their respective professions. Finally, faculty are encouraged to consider strategies to enhance training in preparation programs and best position their graduates for success in interdisciplinary contexts.

A Hermeneutic Exploration Of Professional Place-Based Belonging Experienced By Faculty In Covid-19 Informed Undergraduate Formal Learning Places, Jennifer Ryley Welsh

Educational Studies Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the rhythms of higher education and redefined the ways faculty experienced connection, identity, and purpose within formal learning places. This study examined professional belonging by exploring the question: What was the lived experience of belonging for teaching faculty in a COVID-informed undergraduate formal learning place? The aim was to investigate how belonging was constructed, challenged, and reimagined during a period of collective disruption. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology and framed as a scholarly imram – a journey of wandering and insight drawn from Irish mythology – the research engaged nine faculty participants through semi-structured interviews. Data …

Shedding The Chrysalis: Black Women Leading In Higher Education, Olga M. Welch, Carolyn R. Hodges

Navigating Careers in Higher Education Series

Shedding the Chrysalis: Black Women Leading in Higher Education features the voices of six experienced and emerging Black females in a variety of academic leadership roles. This book provides a Black feminist perspective, highlighting the need to address racial realism within higher education administration. These personal testimonies focus on a variety of levels in the academic hierarchy to emphasize the continuum across the lived experiences of these women, some of whom have served in multiple upper-level administrative roles. The contributors’ positions range from postdoctoral research fellows to positions reporting to central administration at predominantly white institutions. Shedding the Chrysalis underscores …

Automating Academia: Implications Of Genai Use In Doctoral Research And Online Mentoring, Cheryl Burleigh, Andrea M. Wilson

Journal of Online Mentoring

This study critically examines the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), specifically ChatGPT, in the development of doctoral dissertation proposals, highlighting both its potential and its ethical implications. Through a content analysis of a dissertation proposal created using ChatGPT, the study investigates how GenAI supports structural organization, academic writing, and citation formatting while exposing significant concerns related to fabricated references, methodological misalignment, and diminished scholarly rigor. Although GenAI accelerates the proposal-writing process, its outputs often lack the depth, coherence, and originality expected at the doctoral level, thereby threatening the integrity of academic research. Findings reveal that GenAI-generated content may deceive …

Book Review: Best Practices For Mentoring In Online Programs: Supporting Faculty And Students In Higher Education, Cheryl Burleigh

Journal of Online Mentoring

This book review examines Ko and Zhadko’s (2023) practical guide to designing and sustaining mentoring systems in virtual learning environments. The review highlights the book’s dual focus on faculty and student mentoring, emphasizing structured, institutionally supported models that promote collaboration, professional growth, and learner persistence. Key strengths include the inclusion of actionable tools and templates, as well as thoughtful attention to both synchronous and asynchronous mentoring modalities. However, the book relies largely on descriptive approaches, with limited empirical evidence and less balanced depth across faculty and student mentoring discussions. Overall, the book is positioned as a timely and valuable resource …