Higher Education and Teaching Commons^™

Reading And Religion: Reconciling Diverse Reading Patterns And The First Year Composition Classroom, Evelyn Baldwin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While tolerance is the supposed standard of the first-year composition classroom, the writing patterns and argumentation skills of self-identified Christian students often frustrate teachers and create classroom dissonance and interpersonal divergence. This work looks at what apologetic and devotional texts these students are reading before they enter the classroom and then analyzes these works to see how well their content aligns with Composition I reading and writing requirements. To do this, the study takes information from two very distinct groups: religious leaders of young adults and Composition I instructors. The study begins by surveying religious workers to identify the top …

University Public Relations: A Survey Of University Communicators' Efforts To Influence U.S. News & World Report Peer Survey Respondents, Heidi Stambuck

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined what differences exist between the work of public relations professionals (also called communicators) who are members of CASE, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, at colleges and universities ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report and CASE-member communicators at colleges and universities that are ranked between 21 and 200 in their behavior in four areas: (1) communication goals they consider top priorities, (2) types of communication tasks they perform, (3) types of media in which they purchase advertising, and (4) their rating of audience importance. A survey completed by CASE-member …

A Comparison Of Student Success By Faculty Qualifications, Kristine A. Garner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Providing the best qualified faculty to ensure the most successful student outcomes is a priority in higher education. The use of adjunct faculty in colleges and universities is continually increasing, especially for lower level courses. Previous research has come to conflicting conclusions regarding the quality of adjunct faculty. Indicators of student success were compared between part-time instructors with professional doctoral degrees and full-time instructors with academic doctoral degrees. Results of statistical analyses of both a comparison of final grade distributions and knowledge of course content determined that there were no significant differences between two comparable groups of students in a …

The Neglected Minority: Interviews With Successful Community College Students From Poverty, Heather Hollifield-Hoyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poverty in the US is growing at an alarming rate. The current economic climate demands higher education to embrace the economic diversity of all students and to prepare them, regardless of economic class, for a globally competitive workplace. Unfortunately, the higher education community is not as adept at serving low-income students, as it is middle- and upper- income students. Low-income students are less likely than their more affluent peers to enroll in college or graduate. Employing qualitative narrative methods, this dissertation explores the factors that contributed to the persistence and success of 18, low-income, community college students. This study addresses …

Characteristics Of Quality Agricultural Magazine Capstone Courses Based On The Five R'S Model, Traci Nicole Rushing

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to assess students' and instructors' perceptions regarding the value of an agricultural communications magazine capstone course at three universities that were identified as exemplary in an effort to describe the characteristics leading to the course's success. Using a qualitative survey methodology, the investigator administered an open-response survey, conducted personal interviews with purposively-selected students in each course and the instructors, and made field observations. Both the interviews and the surveys consisted of six, in-depth questions crafted after Andreasen's (2004) of a successful magazine capstone course. Based on students' and instructors' perceptions through the lens of Andreasen's (2004) model, …

Perceptions Of Skill Development In A Living-Learning First-Year Experience Program, Kerri Anna Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of students and faculty involved in a living-learning first-year experience program at a small, liberal arts institution about developing skills for life-long learning including critical thinking, written communication, and reflection and engagement across disciplines. The researcher conducted a qualitative case study including focus groups with students and interviews with faculty involved with the first-year experience program. Three focus groups with a total of 19 student participants and individual interviews with 11 faculty participants were conducted. Interviews and focus groups were digitally recorded and then the researcher listened to each session …

Coping Strategies Of Part-Time Mba Students: The Role Of Boundary Management, Marion M. Dunagan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using the framework of boundary theory as applied to the work-life-school construct, the study focused on part-time MBA students who worked full-time, their tendency to segment or integrate their numerous roles, and the coping tactics they utilized in redistributing their efforts as they added graduate school to these roles. The research population consisted of a convenience sample of all first and second year Managerial MBA students enrolled at the University of Arkansas. A quasi-experimental research design was used to analyze the sample.

The results of the research indicated that the part-time graduate student who was employed full time faced specific …

Getting Connected...Again: A Phenomenological Study Of Student Experiences Of Transition Within A Shared Model Of Academic Advising, Shane William Barker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Shared models of academic advising that involve the use of both professional and faculty advisors represent the most widely used type of advising structure. Many of these models require students to change advisors once they have satisfied certain criteria, such as earning specific number of credits or declaring a major. Thus, college students across the United States are forming connections with academic advisors during their first few years on campus only to have to repeat the process again with a new advisor. Despite its routine occurrence on college and university campuses across the United States, the issue of mandated advisor …

Faculty And Staff Perceptions Of Sustainability Initiatives On Three Arkansas Two-Year College Campuses, Kenneth Ray Warden Iii

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore higher education faculty and staff perspectives on sustainability initiatives within their respective institutions. Subjects of this study were faculty and staff members from three rural two year institutions of higher education in Arkansas. Data was gathered using an electronically delivered survey instrument. The survey organized sustainability initiatives into three categories which are management, academic, and operations. The organization of the survey was based upon the National Wildlife Federation's study, Campus Environment 2008; A National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education. In effort to determine the relationship if any between the …

Organizational Citizenship Behaviors In Higher Education: Examining The Relationships Between Behaviors And Performance Outcomes For Individuals And Institutions, Kevin Jimmy Rose

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) have been described as employee behaviors that are not required by job descriptions, are not formally rewarded, and contribute positively to the organization. Previous research has shown that OCBs are related to both individual and organizational performance. Given the importance of OCBs to individual and organizational effectiveness, the purpose for conducting the study was to describe OCBs in the higher education context, describe the relationships between OCBs and various aspects of faculty and staff performance, and explore the extent to which institutional leaders should be concerned with the OCBs of both faculty and professional staff. The …

Use Of Standardized Mastery Content Assessments Given During The First Year Of A Baccalaureate Nursing Program For Predicting Nclex-Rn Outcomes, Deanna Jan Emory

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between standardized content specific mastery assessments and NCLEX-RN outcomes. Three content-specific standardized assessments testing Fundamentals, Pharmacology and Mental Health concepts were used to explain the dichotomous NCLEX-RN outcome of pass or fail. The three assessments were developed by Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC (ATI). The assessments were administered to baccalaureate nursing students (N = 119) during the first year of a nursing program in one public university over a period of five consecutive semesters. Group comparisons between those passing and those failing NCLEX-RN on the first attempt and correlations were calculated …

Design Studio Involvement Of Real-World Stakeholders In The Fay Jones School Of Architecture, University Of Arkansas, Robert Jackson

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

There is evidence that architecture students are increasingly unprepared to enter the architectural workforce upon graduation. Some research has identified a growing gap between architectural education and architectural practice in terms of real-world concerns as the reason for students’ unpreparedness. By involving real-world stakeholders in architectural design studios – by which I mean individuals drawn from outside the academy with a professional, financial, or emotional investment in a project – educators may be able to create a more authentic learning environment that will better prepare students for architectural practice. This study describes my personal experiences as a student working on …

A Comparative Study Of Hybrid And Internet-Based Educational Technology Course Modules, Nilly Adnan Al-Banna

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine students’ attitudes and performance toward the teaching methods in an educational technology course. Undergraduate students enrolled in the Educational Technology course ETEC 2002L at the University of Arkansas had been exposed to both on-line modules and in-class instruction. The sample size for this study was 155. The results included 110 valid surveys completed by the students on paper. The data collected from the survey were analyzed using percentages, means, and t test of paired samples to find if there was a significant difference in students’ attitudes toward on-line versus hybrid instruction. Four …

Effects Of Thinking-Aloud Pair Problem Solving On The Troubleshooting Performance Of Undergraduate Students In A Power Technology Course, Michael L. Pate, George W. Wardlow, Donald M. Johnson

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

A randomized post-test-only experimental design with a counter-balanced internal replication was used to determine the effects of thinking-aloud pair problem solving (TAPPS) on the troubleshooting performance of college students in a power technology course. The experimental results were stable across two troubleshooting tasks. Students who participated in the pair problem solving groups were significantly more successful (p ≤ .05) at troubleshooting engine faults than were students in the control groups. Among students who successfully completed the troubleshooting tasks across both groups, there were no significant differences in time required for completion. These findings indicate that the use of pair problem …

Method Of Teaching Basic Crystallography To The Beginning Student, Robert J. Willard

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.