Higher Education Commons^™

Smart Learning In An Ai-Driven World, Joseph R. Corbeil, Maria Elena Corbeil

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning

SMART learning is an approach that combines sustainability, motivation, adaptability, results-oriented practices, and technology enablement. AI-driven SMART learning prioritizes flexibility, cost-efficiency, and knowledge retention, equipping teachers and students with the tools to adapt to an ever-evolving world. By envisioning AI's role in fostering SMART learning attributes, we pave the way for a future where technology and education intertwine to empower learners and redefine teaching practices.

Gamification In Education: Its Impact On Engagement, Motivation, And Learning Outcomes, Hansika Ukgoda

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Gamification, integrating game design elements into educational contexts, has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. This systematic review synthesizes findings from 41 peer-reviewed studies published between 2012 and 2023, offering a comprehensive overview of the current state of gamification in education. Following PRISMA guidelines, the review evaluates the effectiveness of gamification elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards. Key Findings indicate that while gamification can foster positive learning attitudes and competition, its effectiveness depends on the context. The impact of game elements on engagement and motivation varies based on the learning environment and …

Academic Clustering For Athletes, Reginald Overton, Bob Case, Michael Ross

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

A trend is developing in academia as it relates to Student-Athletes and advisement practices. With the NIL deals and transfer portals on the continually evolving forefront of collegiate athletics it is difficult to keep the athletes not only eligible to compete but also on track to obtain a degree. A student athlete may be advised to take the track of an Integrated Studies degree and then a transfer to or from a Sport Management Degree. This occurs throughout both the undergraduate and graduate levels of higher education. In addition, certificate programs in athletic administration, sport marketing, sport management, and sport …

Sport Business And Cosma: Marketing Opportunities, Michael Ross, Reginald Overton, Bob Case, Heather Alderman

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The traditional path and location of sport management programs in Colleges of Education, and specifically physical education programs, is changing. In recent years, sport management programs have moved into Colleges of Business at a fast pace. Sport management courses are also being included in Business School curricula and course offerings. As the identity of sport management programs shifts and changes, what role does the accrediting body, the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA), play in the marketing of the old and new sport management programs?

The purpose of this presentation is to examine the continually changing landscape of sport management …

The Chironian 2025, New York Medical College

The Chironian

The Chironian is distributed to a readership of 16,000 faculty, alumni and employees of New York Medical College, government and community leaders, affiliated hospitals and selected media. Each issue is carefully crafted to provide a balance of articles on cutting-edge research, personality profiles, student accomplishments and alumni news from all five schools on the NYMC campus. Inquiries can be sent to [email protected].

Seizing The Moment: Post-Covid-19 Enrollment Trends Among Nontraditional Honors Students, Solomon Aleph

Anthós

This article investigates the motivations behind the rising enrollment of nontraditional students at Portland State University’s Honors College, which nearly doubled from 2019 to 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Aleph argues that nontraditional students viewed education as a means of reclaiming agency and reshaping their futures. Through interviews and a focus group with four nontraditional students, Aleph explores how the pandemic created disruption and opportunities. The study finds that while economic instability and isolation were factors, intrinsic motivations—especially a desire for self-improvement, intellectual challenge, and rewriting personal narratives—were more prominent factors shaping enrollment decisions. Drawing from this qualitative analysis, Aleph …

A Survey Study Of Professional Competencies For Resident Directors: Perspectives From Resident Directors And Supervisors, Lauren Doerner

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Resident directors (RDs) play a critical role in the success of residence life programs on college campuses. However, there is limited research on the professional competencies necessary for success in this role. This study explores the relationship between the ACPA and NASPA professional competencies RDs and their supervisors identify as most critical for RD success. In this study, RDs and their supervisors ranked key competencies, assessed RDs' mastery of these competencies, and RDs identified how they acquired them. Using a survey research design, quantitative data were collected from RDs and their supervisors at Research I institutions in the southeastern United …

Navigating Stress In Higher Education Leadership: The Role Of Mindful Meditation For Women Administrators, Christine T. Harper

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Women higher education administrators encounter distinct stressors which can significantly impact wellbeing and lead to burnout. These challenges include implicit bias, difficulty achieving work-life balance, and increasing institutional expectations. This study utilizes a Mixed Methods Action Research (MMAR) framework to assess stress levels, trait mindfulness, coping mechanisms, and the effectiveness of a structured mindfulness-based intervention. While the quantitative analysis revealed only a slight increase in trait mindfulness and no notable reduction in stress levels, the qualitative findings showcased meaningful personal benefits to the participants. They reported heightened awareness of stress triggers, improved emotion regulation, and an ability to apply the …

"Bridging The Gulf" Perception And Experiences Of Arab Gulf International Female Students' Engagement Process In The U.S. Higher Education Institutions., Nouf Kh Almazyan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This study explores the engagement experiences of international female Arab Gulf students while studying in U.S. higher education institutions. Thus, a phenomenological approach through a qualitative research design was applied to collect data based on semi-structured interviews with eleven female participants from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman. The researcher conducted the interviews to ascertain how these students perceive and experience academic, social, and cultural engagements and the factors influencing their adjustment and integration into American university communities. During the data collection process, concrete measures were taken to establish the credibility and trustworthiness of the research findings. Data were analyzed using …

Rasch Model Utilization Towards Developing An Instrument For Measuring Creative Drive, David W. Stenulson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Creativity is commonly assessed across undergraduate programs as a graduation requirement. However, a considerable amount of literature suggests that creativity is a complex, multidimensional construct, and more efficient ways of assessing it should be explored with multiple measures representing different creative aspects. This exploratory pilot study sought to take steps in developing a supplemental instrument designed to measure creative drive, a theoretical construct with predictive potential for future creative output. In order to gain a greater understanding of the nature of creative drive and gauge accuracy of initial thinking in terms of item writing, the Creative Drive Assessment (CDA), a …

Crossing Borders, Breaking Barriers: The Transformative Journey Of First-Generation Students Abroad, Stephen Farley

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

First-generation students are underrepresented in study abroad programming, both nationally and at the University of Kentucky. To address participation barriers and the resulting opportunity gap for first-generation students, the University of Kentucky designed and implemented an innovative study abroad program for first-generation students titled “Explore First: Careers, Cultures, and Connections.” This specially-designed program sought to provide participants with the academic, social, and professional benefits associated with education abroad experiences, including greater self-efficacy, sense of belonging, intercultural competence, and career exploration and preparation. This mixed methods study examines these intended outcomes of Explore First. Drawing from quantitative surveys administered pre-, mid- …

Student Spouses Of Retired Military Veterans: Exploring Their Journeys To Postsecondary Degrees, Elizabeth Austin

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study is to explore the experiences of spouses, specifically female spouses, of retired U. S. military veterans who pursued the completion of postsecondary degrees following the retirement of the military service member. The study employs narrative inquiry, guided by the Biographic Narrative Interview Method approach to interviewing. The generated data is analyzed utilizing thematic and narrative analysis methods, and a framework of two researchers’ sensitizing concepts is applied to understand and create meaning from the participants’ narratives. The participants’ narratives reveal a powerful truth about the impact of their lived experiences on their return …

Scholars And Schisms: A History Of Antebellum Conflicts Over Slavery At Central Kentucky Liberal Arts Colleges, Wyatt M. Driskell

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This dissertation explores how debates about slavery impacted constituents at four early liberal arts colleges (Berea, Centre, Georgetown, and Transylvania) in antebellum central Kentucky. In addition to focusing on how these colleges participated in, responded to, and helped shape regional debates over slavery, this study also explores how college leaders’ consideration of slavery was intertwined with religion, politics, and the financial pressures inherent in operating a 19th-century institution of higher education. From archival research, I argue that these constituents were not passive participants in this process. In addition to considering slavery from religious, moral, or political perspectives, leaders advanced positions …

Implementation Of Project-Based Instruction In Statistics Higher Education Courses, Jennifer A. Daddysman

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Project-based instruction is an instructional methodology based in constructivism that aligns with recommendations from the American Statistical Association for teaching statistics, including incorporating real-world data and examples, collaboration, and scaffolding (GAISE College Report ASA Revision Committee, 2016; GAISE Steering Committee, 2024; Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2005; Tishkovskaya & Lancaster, 2012). This study examined current use of project-based instruction in United States higher education courses in statistics and the supports for and challenges to implementing this type of instruction.

This study used qualitative research methodology in the integrative pedagogy and diffusion of innovation frameworks. Voluntary response surveys were distributed via two sections …

The Curious Case Of The Law Review Editor: A Study Of Higher Education's Peculiarly Powerful Students, David R. Wright

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Many law students in their second or third year enroll in student-led, high-impact co-curricular programs such as law journals, moot court teams, and trial competition teams. Law journals particularly demand significant portions of students’ time and energy, especially for students holding Editor-in-Chief positions on a journal. Much has been written about law journals as institutions or about their utility in modern legal education; but little is known about the actual expectations and experiences of the students leading them. Few, if any, studies exist examining the student experience in law journal leadership. How student editors spend their time running their journal …

Recipient Experiences Of Donor-Funded College Scholarships: “I Don't Know What You Want To Know About Me. I Don't Know What I Know About You.”, Teresa Waddle Gotthardt

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This qualitative study explores the experience of receiving donor-funded scholarship support facilitated through a higher education institution, especially when the recipient has interacted with the donor of the funding. This recipient-and-donor-interaction is common at American post-secondary institutions in the form of written thank you notes and attendance at donor recognition events. This research addressed the following questions: How do donor-funded scholarship recipients experience this funding? How do donor-funded scholarship recipients experience interaction with the donor of the scholarship? These questions were explored through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 recent alumni from five private universities and colleges who received donor-funded scholarships …

“Always Looking Over Your Shoulder”: College Students' Experiences With Codes Of Conduct At Evangelical Colleges & Universities, Kayla B. Powell

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This qualitative research study investigated the experiences of college students enrolled at evangelical institutions that are affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) and require students to follow an extensive code of conduct. These codes extend beyond academic expectations and mandate behavior in all aspects of daily life. Students who fail to comply are subject to a range of punishments as severe as expulsion. Sixteen traditional-aged undergraduate students from across the U.S. participated in semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using thematic analysis. Students described varied personal convictions regarding the rules; some earnestly strove to obey their campus …

From Ads To Enrollment: Understanding How Targeted Marketing Affects College Choice, John W. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the perceived impact of targeted marketing on college choice. Research on college choice is an established area of scholarship that explores the variables that are at work when a student chooses to attend a college or university. Given that the enrollment landscape for higher education continues to be competitive, colleges and universities are doing what they can to “stand out” among the competition in a crowded marketing and advertising space. And, as technology improves, segmenting and personalizing marketing to reach the right students at the right time is becoming more commonplace …

2025 Suffolk University Commencement Program, Law School, Suffolk University

Suffolk University Commencements

Suffolk University commencement programs detail the location, date, order of exercises, academic honors, speakers, administration, graduates, and other related information.

The Lived Experiences Of Physical Therapy Educators During Ethics Instruction, Erin Simunds Pt

Doctorate in Education

Physical therapy educators must prepare students to navigate the ethical complexity and pressures of clinical practice. However, limited evidence exists regarding the best pedagogical strategies to develop future clinicians' ethical skills. This study aimed to explore how physical therapy ethics educators integrated their personal and professional experiences with academic elements when designing and implementing ethics instruction. The research draws from the semi-structured interviews of eight educators teaching ethics in Midwestern physical therapy programs to discover instructional patterns supporting student engagement with the content. Participants' narratives specified how curriculum design considerations, critical thinking dispositions, and organizational alignment factors influenced their approach …

A Learning History Of Online Portfolio Development In Kinesiology: Academic Innovation From Pilot To Powerhouse, Lyndsay M. Burneisen Phd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the phased development of an online kinesiology education program, tracing its evolution from inception to institutionalization through Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory. Using a learning history methodology, this research synthesizes document analysis, stakeholder interviews, and focus groups, and historical program data to explore how strategic leadership, faculty engagement, student support, and technological advancements influenced the program’s growth and sustainability. The research is structured around three critical phases: inception, maturation, and institutionalization, highlighting key adaptations in curriculum design, administrative structures, and quality assurance. Findings reveal a transition from a decentralized, experimental model to a structured, integrated online …

The Effects Of The Implementation Of State-Sponsored Free Community College Programs On Enrollment And Net Price, Kristafer Lee Adkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

State-sponsored, free community college programs have been implemented with the goal of increasing access to higher education, especially for financially disadvantaged students. This study seeks to determine the impact of the implementation of the Tennessee Promise and the Oregon Promise on enrollment and net price by student family income level using a difference-in-differences methodology comparing in-state, public, two-year institutional outcomes with: in-state, public four-year institutions; national, public, two-year institutions; and, public, two-year institutions in states that border Tennessee/Oregon. Enrollment was, on average, found to have increased between 44 and 167 students at Tennessee public, two-year institutions for all students with …

Assessing Stress, Anxiety, And Burnout In Undergraduate Veterinary Technology Students, Dean Ann Daughaday-Provine

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Academic stress, anxiety, and burnout can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of students pursuing degrees in veterinary medicine. This quantitative study was designed to investigate the effects of academic stress, anxiety, and burnout on undergraduate students enrolled in Veterinary Technology programs. This study gained critical insight from current students transitioning through a rigorous curriculum of standards designed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) has established standards, outlined in policies and procedures, to ensure the quality of assessments and enhancements in veterinary education within accredited Veterinary Technology programs.

Leadership Communication And Symbolic Language In Organizational Change: A Study In Higher Education, Christine Fischer

Dissertations

Higher education institutions face growing pressures related to affordability, accessibility, and trust. In this environment, leadership communication, especially symbolic language that frames transformation as mission-aligned, plays a central role in shaping organizational change. This qualitative single-case study examined how leaders at a private Christian liberal arts college used metaphors, narratives, and values-based discourse to communicate an innovative tuition model and how this language influenced stakeholder perceptions, engagement, and resistance. Data included 26 leadership communication documents, a metaphor-based faculty and staff survey, and eight semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis and metaphorical analysis were used to interpret symbolic language, meaning-making processes, and …

The Compass, Summer 2025

The Compass, 2018-

The Compass is an annual orientation guide for VCU students produced by the Student Media Collective in the VCU Student Media Centered. The guide is distributed physically during summer orientation sessions for new and transfer students. The publication includes short articles, illustrations, letters of welcome from students and administrators, comics, and advertisements from VCU and Richmond organizations.

Designing For Neurodiversity In Web Spaces, Kelly Getz, Kimberly Shotick

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

In this chapter, we share how we carried out library website usability studies with neurodivergent students. The research is situated within the Social Model of Disability and places value on students' experiences challenges. Through usability studies and inclusive web service redesign plans, we center the opinions and expectations of neurodivergent student users in ways neurotypical users have been centered and designed around in the past. The chapter will share methods and best practices for conducting usability studies with neurodivergent individuals as well as findings from our own study.

2025_Go! Mexico_Scan41, Fcrh Honors Program

Exhibit '75 Years of the Honors Program

In January 2025, Honors students participated in a GO! service-learning project in Puebla, Mexico, and learned about sustainable development, cross-cultural solidarity, and social justice in practice.

Stronger Together Newsletter, January 2025, Office Of Inclusive Excellence

News, Magazines and Reports

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, Inclusion in Bloom, Introducing The Academy for Inclusive Excellence Education & Development, Lunar New Year, Human Library, Inclusive Excellence Spotlight, Upcoming Events

Catalog 2025-2026, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

2025_Thesis.Presentations_Scan46, Fcrh Honors Program

Exhibit '75 Years of the Honors Program

Graduating seniors at their Three-Minute Thesis presentation in Keating Hall in May 2025.