Browsing by Subject "Higher education"

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A Wicked Problem: Evaluating Tensions in Career Exploration for Undergraduate Students
(2021-05) Cox, Amy
College is no longer a haven for self-exploration and identity formation. External factors including university policies, labor market trends, and parental expectations have led to increased pressure on students to identify and pursue their careers earlier in their lifetime, specifically during their time in college. Career exploration for university students is a complex issue with tensions arising between several stakeholders like university administrations, faculty, advising staff, parents, and students. This thesis identifies and evaluates those tensions while analyzing them using the Wicked Problem theoretical framework. First, I will define wicked problems and the current state of student career exploration. Then I will highlight factors that impact career exploration in higher education and how they contribute to the current failure to effectively provide career exploration in higher education. Each section contains an overview of the specific topic, an analysis of said factor's current operationalization, and a discussion on the factor effects career exploration. Additionally, each section features evaluation of the discussed factor's role in the wickedness of the problem that is career exploration in higher education. Finally, I will discuss the importance of analyzing career exploration through the wicked problem framework and provide recommendations for future evaluation of the problem.
Accomplishing organizational change : project management process maturity at U.S. community colleges
(2017-05) Snyder, Diane Edelman; Kameen, Marilyn C.; Saenz, Victor B; Sharpe, Edwin R; Bryde, David J
Community colleges are being asked to improve student success outcomes and operate more like a business – managing for quality, efficiency, and innovation. Higher education institutions (HEIs) only recently realized that organizational and operational structures such as project management might be beneficial to implement organizational change. This quantitative online survey study examined how mature the adoption of project management (PM) is at large, complex community college systems in the United States by benchmarking results with seminal studies of other industries, a first such empirical HEI PM study. Complexity for purposes of this study is defined as multi-campus urban or suburban institutions with Fall term student headcount greater than 19,999. Research thus far has not focused on PM maturity in the higher education context; only 26 of 895 (< 3%) peer-reviewed articles published since 1990 were related to higher education institutional maturity, capability or performance. The responses from 44 of the 55 largest U.S. community colleges/districts show PM practices being defined but at a low maturity level similar to late-adopters of PM in other industries. PM practices were often isolated to the Information Technology and Facility Construction departments. PM maturity ratings are higher in large community college systems having mature PM Office (PMO), knowledge management, and risk management practices. Results show higher maturity in leadership, culture, and PMSMS (systems/tools) than studies 10 years ago at two universities indicating increasing support for the concepts of project management at the department leadership level. However, scores remain unchanged on the operational staffing and PMO level that are necessary for institutional level adoption of PM fully aligned to institutional strategies. The HEI culture may hinder maturity progression to a project-based organization (Maturity Levels 4 and 5). The idea of a centralized PMO may be particularly challenging in the HEI culture where less bureaucratic and shared governance type of decentralized management is preferred. Thus, immature PM processes may leave community colleges unprepared as an organization for implementing efficiently and effectively the organizational changes necessary for improved student success that the public demands.
An econometric estimate of Baumol and Bowen expenditures at Texas public universities following tuition deregulation
(2015-05) Purcell, George, Jr. Phillip; Somers, Patricia (Patricia A.); Abrevaya, Jason; Cofer, James; Reddick, Richard; Sharpe, Edwin
Expenditures per FTE student have risen rapidly in real terms in public higher education in the United States for over three decades. Two theory-grounded hypotheses have been advanced to explain this growth. Baumol’s (1966) “cost disease” argument is a macroeconomic perspective arguing that industries heavily reliant on skilled labor have limited ability to increase productivity but must increase their wage rate above their productivity gains to compete for this skilled labor in the labor market. Bowen’s (1980) “revenue theory of costs” proposes a microeconomic explanation that universities raise all they can and spend all they raise. Bowen’s thesis has been expanded into a behavioral theory by Martin (2011), who argues that the nexus of non-profit status, principal-agent confusion, and prestige seeking behavior are responsible for increased expenditures. Following Martin and Hill (2012), this study presents an econometric model that allocates expenditures to these two theoretical perspectives. Statewide real average expenditures per FTE student at Texas public universities increased 9% from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2011 following tuition deregulation. Analysis of yearly fixed effects suggests that this policy change led to an increase in real expenditures above pre-deregulation levels on the order of $1,400 per FTE student. The ratio of Bowen to Baumol expenses is highest at elite Research universities and is lowest at the least research intensive Master’s universities. Additional tuition revenue was associated with a decline of Bowen expenditures relative to Baumol expenditures at Research institutions of -5% while Emerging Research and Doctoral institution displayed substantial increases in Bowen expenditures relative to Baumol expenditures (6% and 4%). This finding suggests that lower-level research universities with aspirations to higher research intensity increase their proportion of Bowen expenditures in conditions of expanding revenue. Research universities used additional revenue to reduce an existing cross-institutional subsidy from graduate education to the rest of the institution.
Are undergraduates' perceptions of choice and structure within a course related to sense of autonomy, academic emotions, and self-regulated learning strategies?
(2010-05) Kim, Hyunjin, 1971-; Svinicki, Marilla D., 1946-; Schallert, Diane L.; Weinstein, Claire Ellen; Whittaker, Tiffany A.; Keating, Xiaofen D.
This study investigated how students’ perceptions of course choice and structure are related directly or indirectly to their sense of autonomy, academic emotions, and use of self-regulated learning strategies with the hypothesis of significant relationship of these two areas of instructional practice to those outcome variables. In this study, a total of 601 undergraduate students were asked to respond to surveys on perceived choice, perceived structure, perceived autonomy, academic emotions, and self-regulated learning strategies as well as basic course characteristic information measure with regard to a specific course in which they were enrolled. Structural Equation Modeling suggested both students’ perceived choice and perceived structure in the classroom had small but positive relationships to their perceived autonomy. Regarding the relationships between these two teaching strategies and academic emotions, the level of students’ perceived choice was directly associated only with higher feeling of enjoyment, but indirectly related to all four academic emotions with mediation of the level of perceived autonomy in the direction that one would predict (i.e, higher enjoyment and pride, lower anger and anxiety). On the other hand, perceived structure predicted those four academic emotions not only directly but also indirectly via sense of autonomy in predicted direction. Regarding their relationships with self-regulated learning strategies, neither perceived choice nor perceived structure directly predicted use of self-regulated learning strategies. However, their relationships were supported through the mediation of academic emotions, sense of autonomy, or both. This research helps to provide a clearer picture of autonomy supportive teaching. In particular, this study might help to understand how provisions of choice and structure, which are controversial instructional methods about autonomy supportive teaching, influence the entire process of learning including academic emotions and self-regulation of learning as well as sense of autonomy.
Artists are entrepreneurs : a four-year case study examining the academic expectations, entrepreneurial attitudes, and career aspirations of first-year performing arts majors
(2018-07-30) Blackshire, Richard Scott; Bonin-Rodriguez, Paul; Canning, Charlotte; Rossen, Rebecca; Somers, Patricia; Holtschneider, Dennis
Deciding to pursue a career in professional theatre is an exciting venture for undergraduate students in higher education arts programs. Performing arts training is emotionally challenging—rigorous academics are not secondary to intense creative and artistic physical labor. A four-year, four-cohort case study situated in performance studies seeks the essence of first-year performing arts students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. Annual questionnaires query their academic expectations and career aspirations, and gauge their readiness and willingness for entrepreneurship engagement. Embedded case study analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected in fall 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, reveal diverse student thinking. Results compel the need for an arts-business practice incorporating artists’ ideologies for flexible real-world application. Interdisciplinary literature—phenomenology, student engagement, and entrepreneurship, alongside extant data on professional artists from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project—activate exploring which skills and competencies students believe support creative careers. Students’ statements weave passionate energy among established theory and humanize the literature. Methodology design utilizes phenomenology to guide the survey-questionnaire development and deployment. Embedded case study analysis constructs a foundation for a consilience framework focused solely on students’ relationships to entrepreneurship. Analyses create new knowledge drawing a line between art-makers and their creative outputs. Discussions on findings—students’ base needs for artistry and networking, entrepreneurial ambivalence, and professional career intuitiveness—follow. Findings suggest how higher education arts training programs might support student artists develop enduring entrepreneurial identities based on needs, values, and beliefs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, tenets of collective social entrepreneurship and practices from the feminist theatre movement, inspire radical pedagogy. Pedagogical interventions incorporate powerful learning experiences (PLEs) to invigorate current coursework and shape new curricula that engage students to create and adopt entrepreneurial practices and behaviors. Findings hold significance for arts programs working to align students’ thinking with teaching entrepreneurship according to shifting trends in creative job markets. Outcomes empower artists to acknowledge entrepreneurial uniqueness as a support mechanism for art making. Immediate recommendations span theoretical deliberations and practical classroom ideas, from shifts in programmatic thought to artist-focused entrepreneurship seminars. Future research recommendations above all stress separating artists from the institutional foci of arts entrepreneurship
Assessing the Structure of Organizational Fields: A Multilevel Latent Class Analysis as a Tool for Institutional Analysis
(RGK Center: Summer Fellowship Program, 2009-07-17) Barringer, Sondra
Within organizational research a question researchers are often interested in is the “why” question. A question that is not focused on as frequently is the how question. I argue in this paper that as researchers we need to pay more attention to how organizations are behaving within organizational fields before we begin to answer the why questions and in order to do this researchers need to expand their methodological tool kits. This analysis examines how institutions within the field of higher education have responded to the changing environmental conditions. Using multilevel latent class analysis I show that there are a number of distinct strategies that the organizations within this field are pursing as well as distinct deviations between the behavior of public and nonprofit institutions. This analysis of the changes occurring in the field of higher education demonstrates the ability of MLCA to break the organizational field down into more manageable units which allows for a deeper understanding of the ways in which these fields are changing over time. MLCA makes organizational fields more manageable both empirically and conceptually resulting in a more accurate assessment of the critical dynamics within the organizational fields
Beyond credential : postsecondary education and health in early adulthood
(2015-08) Humphries, Melissa Hope; Muller, Chandra; Raley, Ruthine Kelly; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Hummer, Robert; Frisco, Michelle; Hayward, Mark
The positive association between education and health is well documented across time, place and population. Those with higher levels of education and/or more years of schooling are healthier than individuals with lower amounts of education (Mirowsky and Ross 2003). Even controlling for income, researchers find health benefits for individuals with higher education, suggesting that education itself has an effect on health beyond its economic benefits (Cutler and Lleras-Muney 2010; Mirowsky and Ross 1998b). The disparities between the highest and lowest educated are growing, and the role that education plays in maintaining a healthy life is increasing across cohorts (Lynch 2003). Although decades of research have investigated the relationship between education and health using different health outcomes and varying measures of education, the actual educational mechanisms through which health is affected are poorly understood. In this dissertation, I focus more deeply on the postsecondary education process itself through examination of enrollment, attainment and type of institution attended and how these attributes relate to young adult self-rated health. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), I investigate how the postsecondary experience is associated with young adult health. The longitudinal nature of the data also allow for consideration of prior health, SES and educational factors which sharpens the analyses to better highlight the actual association between postsecondary schooling and early adult health. In the first analytic chapter, I find that when time enrolled and degree earned are modeled concurrently, degree attainment retains an independent effect on both self-rated health and work limitations. However, for respondents who enter postsecondary schooling, but do not earn a degree, time enrolled in four-year institutions, but not two-year institutions, is associated with a higher probability of reporting better self-rated health. The second analytic chapter shows that students who attend selective four-year schools have a health advantage to those who enroll in less selective schools. Interestingly, the better health of those in elite colleges is explained by their lower BMIs. The remaining chapter of my dissertation explores how the relationships between education and health differ across gender.
Caballeros making capital gains : the role of social capital in Latino first-year college persistence : a case study analysis of a predominantly white 4-year institution
(2011-05) Arámbula-Turner, Tracy Lee; Saenz, Victor B.; Vincent, Gregory J.; Holme, Jennifer J.; Dorn, Edwin; Ponjuan, Luis
The goal of this study was to develop a nuanced understanding of the first-year experience of Latino males attending a predominantly White public flagship institution of higher education. Specifically, the study sought to examine the relationship between their ability to draw upon and use various forms of social capital, and their persistence to the second year of college. Qualitative data were collected at the conclusion of the students’ first year and at the beginning of their second year of college and the study was guided by social capital theory. Results indicate students gained access to an elite institution of higher education and persisted to the second year through application of their strong academic ganas, rich familial wealth, and through the essential support of key high-volume institutional agents. Students engaged in a strategic and deliberative transition process during the first year that was customized to fit their personal needs and life experiences. Students engaged in discerning, tactical and selective friendship creation and management during the first year, and treated this exercise as a long-term investment in their success. Finally, academic support programs facilitated transition and served as vital sources of support and resilience during the first year of college. Research findings will be of interest to researchers, policymakers, administrators and practitioners who aspire to improve the college completion rates of their Latino undergraduate populations.
Can you see me? : black trans women and femmes experiences in higher education
(2020-08) Jones, Alden Carter; Holme, Jennifer Jellison; Nicolazzo, Z; Jabbar, Huriya; Bukoski, Beth E
While social attitudes towards trans* people may be improving in some instances (Schilt & Westbrook, 2009), in others continued structural and social barriers remain in place that ultimately limit life chances for trans* people in general (Schilt & Westbrook, 2009; Spade, 2011). There are a great many topics and characteristics to consider when investigating equity and social justice for trans*gender people on college and university campuses. Though the research into trans*gender college contexts is in its emergent stage, a flurry of recent academic work is being produced on the topic (Beemyn & Rankin, 2011; Jourian, 2015; Nicolazzo, 2016a; Renn, 2010).The lack of sustained attention on trans*gender women of color is a noticeable feature of the current state of higher education research. This study is primarily concerned with noting the absence of Black trans*gender women in the higher education body of literature and explicating the need to attend to this crucial gap.
Capitalizing on the Cold War : Hong Kong elites and America’s Pacific empire
(2015-08-11) Hamilton, Peter E.; Hsu, Madeline Yuan-yin; Abzug, Robert H.; Lawrence, Mark A.; Suri, Jeremi; Metzler, Mark; Carroll, John
This study argues that it is impossible to understand either the Cold War Pacific or post-1945 globalization without Hong Kong. Rather than just a small British colony, Hong Kong was at the center of both the Cold War’s transfer of international power from Britain to the United States and the post-1978 reintegration of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with global capitalism. In particular, this study argues that Hong Kong demonstrates a previously unstudied mode of expanding US imperial power that later structured contemporary US-PRC relations and the rapid growth of US-PRC trade. Scholars have documented the United States’ Cold War pursuit of global “hearts and minds” through overt anticommunist cultural diplomacy. This study reframes this research by arguing that the United States steered Hong Kong’s future through the subtlest manner of extending influence: the provision of curated opportunities. Due to British restraints on overt propaganda, the United States oriented this refugee-inundated territory toward US leadership by constraining local business opportunities, sponsoring the expansion of local higher education, and by facilitating enormous numbers of the colony’s youth to attend American colleges and universities. By the early 1970s Hong Kong was routinely the largest sender of foreign students to the United States and by 1990 likely the world’s most US-educated international society. In turn, the 1950 US embargo on the PRC fostered Hong Kong’s dependence on the US market and opened the colony to waves of US capital. The United States transformed into Hong Kong’s largest export market and largest outside investor. This reorientation of educational and business cultures was expansion by the sophisticated imperial technology of coopting capitalist elites, not by the US military. These US opportunities empowered the colony’s capitalists into powerful global agents. It was US-educated returnees who led in brokering outside trade and investment into the PRC through Hong Kong during the 1980s. This same class was critical in stabilizing the colony before its 1997 return to the PRC. Particularly after the Tiananmen Square Massacre, they repurposed America’s Cold War neo-imperialist systems and paved the way for the United States to rebuild economic relations with the PRC during the 1990s
Close but no credit : a mixed-methods study of the who, what, and why of late course withdrawal
(2023-05-01) Johnson, Emily Amanda; Reddick, Richard ,1972-; Alvarado, Cassandre G; Green, Terrance L; Schudde, Lauren
Course withdrawals result in the average college student taking 13 more credit hours to graduate than needed. Also, course withdrawals cost the U.S. $6.5 billion annually. This tremendous waste causes decreases in available seats and funding for incoming students. However, there are fewer than twenty peer-reviewed studies on course withdrawal over the past fifty years. This study builds on prior research to broaden the field of retention literature. Considering that course withdrawal is likely a sign of academic or personal struggle, higher education professionals should view a course drop as a risk factor for attrition. Further, by understanding the course withdrawal experience, administrators can predict which students might consider withdrawing from a course and deploy preventive measures in a timely fashion. Public Research University (PRU) permits undergraduate students to drop a course after the standard drop deadline and up until the last day of classes once during their degree. This seven-year-old Late Course Withdrawal (LCW) policy has not been analyzed qualitatively to date, and only one prior study examined the timing aspect of course withdrawal. This study employed a sequential, mixed-methods design within a phenomenometric methodology to identify how LCW relates to on-time (four-year) graduation, which students are more likely to use the LCW, which courses students are more likely to use the LCW to drop, and why students use their LCW. Statistical analyses — primarily stepwise logistical regressions — revealed that LCW usage, particularly in the first year, was related to a reduced likelihood of on-time graduation. Male students, students of color, students with lower SAT scores, students in STEMB colleges, and students in the undecided, undeclared college were more likely to use their LCW in the first two years of college. Students with lower cumulative GPAs were more likely to use their LCW in every semester. LCWs were more likely to be used on STEMB courses and non-major-department courses. Focus group participants identified thirty-five reasons for dropping courses, including nine reasons specifically related to using their LCW. Both sets of reasons fall under five larger areas for intervention: instructional support, advising support, health/wellbeing support, learning support, and administrative support. Every participant noted multiple reasons for withdrawal indicating interactive effects between reasons. The findings of this study translate into recommendations for practice and future research that will help reduce the incidence of late course withdrawals.
College readiness without borders : a real-world evaluation model for foundation year programs
(2018-06-19) Calder, Marisa Claire; Lentz, Erin C.
In recent years, Foundation Year Programs (FYP) for international students have become increasingly popular at U.S. universities. Most pre-college programs for international students consist of pathway programs that offer conditional admission to the university upon completion. At the same time, stand-alone pre-college FYPs where admission to the host university is not guaranteed, particularly for government-sponsored students from the Middle East, are on the rise. However, the growth of these programs has not yet lead to a standardized definition of what holistic college readiness looks like for international students, who have significantly different needs than domestic students in language proficiency, cultural adjustment, and other areas. There is also a significant gap in the literature about how best to evaluate the effectiveness of FYPs given the unique constraints of these programs, particularly the lack of available data on students before and after the FYP. This paper aims to fill this gap by creating a holistic college readiness standard for international students. This standard draws on the Deardorff process model for intercultural competence,1 the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards2 and relevant literature. Additionally, this paper analyzes seven cases of past evaluations of bridge, pathway, and FYPs to develop recommendations for a real-world evaluation model for FYPs where more typical longitudinal or experimental methods of evaluation are unavailable
Comfortable being uncomfortable : the study abroad experiences of Black and Latino/a students
(2017-07-18) Dean, Dallawrence Edward; Vincent, Gregory J.; Reddick, Richard, 1972-; Green, Terrance; Somers, Patricia; Moore, Leonard
Research has found that study abroad experiences positively influence undergraduate baccalaureate degree attainment, career goals, and self-awareness (Gonyea, 2008). However, scholars agree there are still gaps in study abroad literature, specifically pertaining to students of color, alumni, and short-term study abroad programs (Chang, 2015; Miller-Perrin & Thompson, 2014; Norris & Gillepsie, 2009). Guided by Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning, this study aimed to understand Black and Latinx students’ perceptions of the benefits of their study abroad experiences. This study adds to the current body of literature by employing a phenomenological approach to assess the study abroad experiences of seven undergraduate students and eight alumni, all of whom identified as Black or Latinx, and participated in a short-term study abroad experience sponsored by the Southwest University (SU). Participants described how their experience of “learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable” in a foreign country influenced their personal, social, and professional lives. The study’s findings were presented via five large themes: (1) individual awareness, (2) my friends, family, and community, (3) career development, (4) who you study abroad with matters, and (5) program design. Fifteen subthemes emerged from the larger themes: (1) Awakening American identity, (2) ethnic identity empowerment, (3) self-assurance, (4) family change of perspective, (5) social responsibility, (6) career clarification, (7) career interviews and application navigation, (8) making connections, (9) transferable skills, (10) comfortability, (11) intragroup diversity, (12) faculty/staff support, (13) study abroad preparation, (14) host destination, and (15) experiential learning.
Creating a culture of giving : an exploration of the role of young alumni in institutional philanthropic efforts
(2011-12) Page, Matthew Braden; Kameen, Marilyn C.; Reagins-Lilly, Soncia; Sharpe, Edwin R.; Vick, James W.; Stuart, Gale S.
Consistent reductions in state and federal financial support for America’s public colleges and universities have resulted in an increased institutional reliance upon non- traditional revenue sources. Budgetary shortfalls precipitated by the loss of appropriations led many institutions to seek out alternative sources of revenue. While many of these strategies have proven to be controversial with institutional stakeholders (e.g., annual tuition rate increases), one appears to be both popular and effective: alumni giving. Colleges and universities rely heavily upon alumni to enhance the institution by subsidizing operational costs; this is especially crucial in times of great financial stress. In order to ensure strong, lifelong relationships between alumni donors and their alma maters, institutions must consistently evaluate the methods through which alumni giving is solicited. It is not enough to merely expect alumni to become philanthropically engaged upon graduation; institutions must create a culture of giving amongst its student body. The study explored how colleges and universities may foster increased alumni participation in institutional philanthropy. By gauging the perceptions of young alumni, institutions will be able to determine if existing efforts are effective in encouraging future alumni giving. Grounded in altruistic (i.e., prosocial), social exchange, student development, and donor motivation theories, this study utilized a quantitative survey methodology to uncover prevailing alumni perceptions toward contemporary institutional philanthropic efforts. Study participants were asked to reflect upon their undergraduate experiences and the relationships they maintain with their alma mater after graduation. The study found that specific variables (e.g., alumni association membership, gender, financial contributions, engagement in alumni activities, satisfaction with the undergraduate experience, and institutional connectivity post-graduation) were statistically significant in predicting membership within three distinct donor groups. After all data were collected and analyzed, recommendations were made to assist institutions in developing programs that are most likely to encourage active alumni participation and create a culture of giving amongst student bodies.
Cultivating belonging in the virtual introductory STEM classroom
(2024-08) Kudym, Molly ; Crosnoe, Robert; Jordan Conwell; Madkins, Tia C; Riegle-Crumb , Catherine
Belonging has been identified as a key factor that may encourage student persistence in both online learning environments, and in introductory STEM courses. This study adds a new perspective considering how instructor strategies, the online environment, and peer comparisons contribute to belonging in a unique context—the COVID-19 Pandemic. This study examines a select group of highly motivated STEM instructors adapted to the new realities of full-time online learning and considers how their students experienced these online classrooms. Pulling from one-on-one interviews of eight instructors and around 1000 student short answer responses from classroom climate surveys, I find that instructors socioemotional strategies, rather than specific practices resonate with students with regards to their sense of belonging. The remote learning environment presents challenges to students’ sense of place and self-expression. Lastly, I find that peers play both indirect and direct roles in students’ determination of belongingness in the classroom. Findings reveal the complex role of structural and interpersonal factors in student belonging and provide a starting point for future research concerned with improving student experiences of introductory STEM courses and within the online environment.
Cultura Within : designing workshops and transitional objects that empower young Latina women to persevere in higher education
(2016-08) Sibrian, Ana Angelica; Gorman, Carma; Catterall, Kate; Park, Jiwon
Latinos are one of the fastest-growing ethnic minority groups in the United States. Yet they have the lowest college graduation rate of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. This report documents self-reflective, participatory processes I used, based on my personal experience as a Latina in higher education, to design engaging workshops and transitional objects to support the Latina community at the University of Texas at Austin. I propose that workshops promoting awareness of structural barriers, coaching in self-reflective techniques, and the co-creation of totemic objects that serve as transitional objects and aides-mémoires can empower young Latina women to persevere in higher education. The workshops were designed to use group storytelling, self-reflection and sharing methods to educate and empower young Latinas to create an on-going sense of agency and build stronger communities within higher education.
Decolonizing leadership : presidents and/or chief executive officers of color, institutions of higher education, and transformative leadership
(2023-04-21) Silva, Jesse, Ed. D.; Urrieta, Luis; Bukoski, Beth Em; Burnette, Colette Pierce; Garcia, Gina Ann; Reddick, Richard
The purpose of this study is to explore race, presidents and/or chief executive officers of institutions of higher education, and conceptualization of leadership, and practices for advancing racial equity. The qualitative multiple case study used a comparative cross-case analysis and explored phenomenological conceptualization of leadership approaches and practices of presidents and/or chief executive officers of color of Minority Serving Institutions for advancing racial equity and in response to major racial incidents that impact higher education. The multiple cross case study The study used a subjectivist epistemological orientation and integrated theoretical perspective that includes critical race theory, theory of racialized organizations, and decolonial theory. The study was guided using three research questions: 1) How do presidents and/or chief executive officers of color conceptualize leadership and apply leadership practices for advancing racial equity at Minority Serving Institutions?, 2) How do presidents and/or chief executive officers of color’s experiences at Minority Serving Institutions influence their leadership and practices for advancing racial equity?, and 3) How do presidents of color of Minority Serving Institutions understand and respond to current major historical racial incidents that impact higher education? The emergent themes from this study include: 1) Minority Serving Institutions as third space sites, 2) racial equity for all through interest convergence, and 3) transformative community cultural wealth and knowledge. Key findings from within cases show that presidents and/or executive leaders of color vary in their conceptualization of leadership and application of leadership practices for advancing racial equity and Minority Serving Institution influence their leadership and practices for advancing racial equity. This study added to the scholarship on how presidents and/or chief executive officers of color conceptualize and enact leadership to advance racial equity in Minority Serving Institutions for historically underrepresented and/or marginalized communities of color.
Defining the role and experiences of service-learning faculty : a qualitative study at The University of Texas at Austin
(2014-05) Ortego Pritchett, Katie Elizabeth; Reddick, Richard, 1972-
Over the past two decades researchers have analyzed motivating factors and institutional barriers that influenced a professor's initial decision to utilize a service-learning pedagogy. The majority of this research has been quantitative in nature, surveying faculty members' initial attitudes around service-learning. However, the extant literature fails to qualitatively examine the experiences of faculty members who successfully integrate service-learning, especially at a public research institution with civic-engaged mission. Because a public institution relies upon a critical mass of faculty members to support its civic engagement mission, this study focused on explaining the lived experience of exemplar professors in service-learning to understanding their motivations, barriers, and experiences. Faculty members are important to study because service-learning is a form of community engagement that cannot happen without sustainable efforts from professors. Moreover, students and communities cannot derive the benefits of service-learning, nor can civically minded institutions achieve their goal, if faculty members do not incorporate service-learning into their classrooms. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to understand the experiences of service-learning faculty members at a four-year public research institution where community engagement is a stated priority. Utilizing a recently developed faculty engagement model (Demb & Wade, 2012) as the guiding theoretical framework, this research study seeks to understand the lived experience of faculty members at The University of Texas at Austin by inquiring 1) how faculty members implement meaningful community engagement through their service-learning classes, 2) how service-learning may shape a faculty members' professional and personal identity at a research institution, and 3) how service-learning fits into faculty members' larger scholarship agenda.
The development of an interactive simulation for pharmacokinetics learning
(2011-08) Li, Yin, master of arts in curriculum and instruction; Liu, Min, Ed. D.; Hughes, Joan
This report accounts the experience of a faculty member’s intention of creating an innovative interactive learning simulation in the field of pharmacokinetics to support the faculty member’s teaching and addresses his students’ learning needs. The report also describes the collaboration process between the faculty member and the instructional technology support units through the different phases of design, development, implementation and assessment on the simulation. It also discusses a faculty member’s role in using technology to enhance teaching and learning under university context.
Economic decisions in the financing and timing of higher education
(2010-08) Chenevert, Rebecca Lynn; Hamermesh, Daniel S.; Abrevaya, Jason I.; Oettinger, Gerald S.; Williams III, Roberton C.; Muller, Chandra
This dissertation is a collection of three studies in the field of higher education. Chapter 2 evaluates the higher education tax benefits which began in 1998. This study analyzes whether the tax treatment has caused changes in the enrollment behavior among those eligible. It explores the effects on full time and part time enrollment and the effects of the rule changes in 2002 and 2003, as well as examines how marginal changes in the tax benefits affect the probability of enrollment. There is an increase in overall enrollment which can be attributed to the tax benefits, although the expansion of the program had very small effects and there were very few changes in full time student status due to the program. The second essay examines students who take a break in their schooling but return to school before beginning their careers. This can cause two separate effects; as time passes, they are growing older, maturing and learning about themselves. However, they also risk depreciation of the human capital they have acquired. This study examines these competing effects on outcomes for individuals who took time off between completing their undergraduate studies and attending law school. Results indicate that those who take time off earn higher grades on average, but that the effect on earnings is dependent on what the individual did during the schooling gap. There does appear to be a small but persistent penalty for those who have a gap in schooling. In the third essay, a model is where altruistic parents care about the bundle of goods their children consume is presented and analyzed. The model results in some empirically testable predictions, which are tested using the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS). In particular, students whose parents pay the entire cost of schooling should have a lower return to the amount invested than those who pay some of the cost themselves. However, the data show very little difference in the return to the amount invested between the two groups.