This study investigated the direct experiences and preferences of Ontario community college board members and board secretaries to determine how specific programming related to governor recruitment, selection, training and performance evaluation assisted, or may contribute to, governance and leadership experiences during their term in office. These experiences and viewpoints were referenced against the scholarly literature in the domains of contemporary human resources management as well as board governance and leadership. Particular attention was paid to two recent models developed by Leblanc and Gillies (2005) and Chait, Ryan and Taylor (2005) which focus attention on desired leadership and governance practices in not-for-profit institutional settings. Two principal research groups, including college governors and board secretaries, at twenty-two provincial community colleges were invited to complete separate on-line questionnaires which addressed their experiences in four specific human resources management program areas as well as their preferences for how such activities should be carried out. Trends in survey results for both groups were then explored via telephone interviews with five board leaders at community colleges that had participated in the on-line surveys. The results of the study identified several areas where Ontario community colleges utilized contemporary human resources management processes in dealing with members of their boards of governors. The research results also confirmed opportunities for strengthening certain board management practices, through the sharing of expertise with the college’s human resources staff or with the assistance of third party expertise, to strengthen the individual and collective leadership of those serving in governing roles at these higher education institutions.

This study investigated the direct experiences and preferences of Ontario community college board members and board secretaries to determine how specific programming related to governor recruitment, selection, training and performance evaluation assisted, or may contribute to, governance and leadership experiences during their term in office. These experiences and viewpoints were referenced against the scholarly literature in the domains of contemporary human resources management as well as board governance and leadership. Particular attention was paid to two recent models developed by Leblanc and Gillies (2005) and Chait, Ryan and Taylor (2005) which focus attention on desired leadership and governance practices in not-for-profit institutional settings. Two principal research groups, including college governors and board secretaries, at twenty-two provincial community colleges were invited to complete separate on-line questionnaires which addressed their experiences in four specific human resources management program areas as well as their preferences for how such activities should be carried out. Trends in survey results for both groups were then explored via telephone interviews with five board leaders at community colleges that had participated in the on-line surveys. The results of the study identified several areas where Ontario community colleges utilized contemporary human resources management processes in dealing with members of their boards of governors. The research results also confirmed opportunities for strengthening certain board management practices, through the sharing of expertise with the college’s human resources staff or with the assistance of third party expertise, to strengthen the individual and collective leadership of those serving in governing roles at these higher education institutions.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the practices and perspectives of Ontario college board members with respect to board self evaluation. A mixed methodology approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods was employed. Document collection, a survey and interviews were the principal methods used to gather data. This study added to the knowledge provided by the 2005 Deloitte Study of Ontario College Boards by updating the data regarding the current rates of Ontario college boards self evaluation practice and by offering more clarity on the rigour of those boards’ self evaluation practices. The findings of this study provide insights into why some boards do self evaluations while others do not. The findings demonstrate strong support for board self evaluation but also reveal that some boards are still not performing evaluations of their own performance and that more attention must be given to improving the effectiveness of current self evaluation practices. Twelve recommendations to improve board self evaluation practices, grounded in the responses of this study’s participants and the findings in the literature, are offered. This study provides new knowledge about board member beliefs with respect to self evaluation but also raises questions for further research such as exploring possible differences between board members of self evaluating boards versus those from non-self evaluating boards. Personal reflections were presented based on my own experience serving on boards and my readings of the literature. In summary, a case for board self evaluation is made.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the practices and perspectives of Ontario college board members with respect to board self evaluation. A mixed methodology approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods was employed. Document collection, a survey and interviews were the principal methods used to gather data. This study added to the knowledge provided by the 2005 Deloitte Study of Ontario College Boards by updating the data regarding the current rates of Ontario college boards self evaluation practice and by offering more clarity on the rigour of those boards’ self evaluation practices. The findings of this study provide insights into why some boards do self evaluations while others do not. The findings demonstrate strong support for board self evaluation but also reveal that some boards are still not performing evaluations of their own performance and that more attention must be given to improving the effectiveness of current self evaluation practices. Twelve recommendations to improve board self evaluation practices, grounded in the responses of this study’s participants and the findings in the literature, are offered. This study provides new knowledge about board member beliefs with respect to self evaluation but also raises questions for further research such as exploring possible differences between board members of self evaluating boards versus those from non-self evaluating boards. Personal reflections were presented based on my own experience serving on boards and my readings of the literature. In summary, a case for board self evaluation is made.

The purpose of this study was to explore how Dual Credit (DC) programs at Ontario high schools impacted the persistence of students when they are in college and what specific features of these programs affected the participating students’ academic performance. This study focused on the Dual Credit students enrolled full-time at Sir Sandford Fleming College who successfully completed one full-time semester of academic study. Fleming College is one of the 24 Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology. This was a case study based on both qualitative and quantitative data collected by a number of methods including survey questionnaires, audio-recorded phone and face-to-face interviews, and document analysis. There were a number of findings related to persistence at College. For example, the DC student group persisted at the same rate as did all College students and DC students who enrolled in a College program that was “related” to their DC program were more likely to persist at college. Although there was no attempt to compare the data for the two groups because of uncontrollable variables, this study found that DC students (as a group) did not achieve academically quite at the same level, as did all Fleming College students. However, considering that the DC target group was “at risk” students, the overall academic achievement (64%) of the DC students (2011) was similar to the academic achievement of all College students (68%). The participants in this study recommended that the DC program be as much like college as possible. This study supports previous research, which indicates that the DC courses should be delivered at the college campus (rather than in the high school) and DC students should be integrated with other college students. Although this was a case study of DC students at only one Ontario College and the findings are not generalizable to other sites, the findings of this study will partially address a gap in the research literature and add to the body of knowledge about the impact of DC programs in the areas of student engagement, integration and persistence with respect to DC programs elsewhere.

The purpose of this study was to explore how Dual Credit (DC) programs at Ontario high schools impacted the persistence of students when they are in college and what specific features of these programs affected the participating students’ academic performance. This study focused on the Dual Credit students enrolled full-time at Sir Sandford Fleming College who successfully completed one full-time semester of academic study. Fleming College is one of the 24 Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology. This was a case study based on both qualitative and quantitative data collected by a number of methods including survey questionnaires, audio-recorded phone and face-to-face interviews, and document analysis. There were a number of findings related to persistence at College. For example, the DC student group persisted at the same rate as did all College students and DC students who enrolled in a College program that was “related” to their DC program were more likely to persist at college. Although there was no attempt to compare the data for the two groups because of uncontrollable variables, this study found that DC students (as a group) did not achieve academically quite at the same level, as did all Fleming College students. However, considering that the DC target group was “at risk” students, the overall academic achievement (64%) of the DC students (2011) was similar to the academic achievement of all College students (68%). The participants in this study recommended that the DC program be as much like college as possible. This study supports previous research, which indicates that the DC courses should be delivered at the college campus (rather than in the high school) and DC students should be integrated with other college students. Although this was a case study of DC students at only one Ontario College and the findings are not generalizable to other sites, the findings of this study will partially address a gap in the research literature and add to the body of knowledge about the impact of DC programs in the areas of student engagement, integration and persistence with respect to DC programs elsewhere.

This study is a qualitative action research that I have undertaken with four teachers in the college where I work, for the purpose of improving curriculum delivery and student services to our majority multilingual student body. Based on my research in a public school board with Grades 4 to 12 students where I learned that mother tongues (L1s) are valued by students as scaffolds to their learning of English (L2) I proceeded to explore L1/L2 curriculum delivery with adult community college students whose prior learning is encoded in their mother tongues. I explored the possibility of legitimizing the use of students’ mother tongues in college classrooms as scaffolds to their acquisition of their L2. There were three phases to this study. Through these three phases of the study I sought to understand the impact of this multilingual pedagogical approach on the students’ learning experience, academic engagement and identity formation. In phase 1, I worked with 90 English as a Second Language (ESL) students whom I surveyed to determine their levels of understanding of our English-only curriculum delivery and student services. In phase 2, I worked with three English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students and interviewed them to explore their reaction to their teacher’s allowing them to use their mother tongues in class as part of pedagogy. In phase 3, I worked with 19 EAP students and interviewed them in focus groups to explore more deeply their learning experience, academic engagement and identity formation in two college classrooms where their mother tongues were part of everyday pedagogy. On the basis of the findings of this study I argue that the creation of space for students’ mother tongues in college classrooms is an ethical imperative since their mother tongues are integral components of their identities and all of their prior learning and life experiences are encoded in their mother tongues. Overall the findings highlighted bilingual students’ perceptions that their L1s constituted an important scaffold for their learning of English. Students’ comments also expressed their sense of the centrality of L1s to aspects of their identity.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Sarah J. Fishback / A growing body of literature suggested that students who come from poverty have potential risk factors that included: being the first in the family to attend a college, being poorly prepared for the academic rigors of college and requiring remedial developmental coursework. Students from poverty who accessed the rural community college also struggled with rising tuition and fees, as well as the cost of books. Students from poverty had greater struggles with social and personal issues and experienced lower completion rates. Limited research has been conducted with this segment of rural students from poverty backgrounds attending community college in the rural setting. This dissertation described a phenomenological case study approach to identify the impact of poverty on the achievement and persistence of rural students who access the rural community college. A small community college in the Midwest representing a rural population and a high percentage of poverty students was selected as the site for the study. The goal of this research was to explore perceived factors by students receiving Pell Grants and in developmental courses while in attendance at a rural community college in order to identify possible strategies to ameliorate barriers in their rural community college experience. The research found this student population to be at high risk with multiple risk factors. In addition to being developmental and receiving Pell Grants, other scholarships combined with working part-time and often full-time were needed to supplement student finances; poor high school academic preparation and counseling; lacked the computer skills necessary for college coursework; being non-traditional; lack of consistency in tutoring services; and being food short and hungry. These additional risk factors made this segment of the student population fragile.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Rosemary Talab / The purpose of this case study was to explore the online learning environment through the experiences of the individual learner and to gain more insight into the elements of Business online courses, as framed by the Keller ARCS Model of Motivation. This study explored the following three Research Questions: 1. How do undergraduate first-year Business students perceive online course elements as being motivational? 2. How do the online courses that Business students perceive as being motivational use the Keller ARCS Motivational Model? 3 How do exemplary online Business faculty use the Keller ARCS Motivational Model in online instruction? The population was students enrolled in first-year for-credit online classes taken during the Fall 2010 semester in a Midwestern community college. A sample of required Business online sections was purposively selected in order to investigate Business student motivation. The participants in this study were 18 first-year Business students enrolled in Business courses. Based on student interviews, the instructors of the three courses that were most often nominated by students as being most motivational were interviewed. Interviews of students and instructors were conducted at the end of the Fall 2010 semester. Seven themes were identified for Research Question 1: 116 units for theme “Course Communication,” 83 units for theme “Course Requirements,” 71 units for theme “Grades,” 60 units for theme “Course Organization,” 50 units for the theme “Learning Online,” 48 units or the theme “Course Element Availability,” and 46 units for the theme “Track Course Progress.” For Research Question 2, the ARCS model categories were used as a framework for understanding and interpreting student motivation: “Attention,” “Relevance,” “Confidence,” and “Satisfaction.” The components of the Keller ARCS themes were then analyzed according to the components that students perceived as being most motivational. The ARCS Themes found were: 31 units for theme “Satisfaction,” 25 units for theme “Relevance,” 24 units were found for theme “Confidence,” and 20 units were found for theme “Attention.” The significant theme findings were: The Satisfaction theme was found to include practice prior to graded activities. The Relevance theme was found to include the use of “choices” as a key motivational component to what was perceived as being relevant. The Confidence theme was found to include a progression in difficulty of activities and access to review and practice new material. The Attention theme was found to include variability of instruction and course elements. To answer Research Question 3, faculty interviews focused specifically on the Keller ARCS Motivational Model and components. The ARCS themes found were: 36 units for theme “Confidence,” 25 units for theme “Relevance,” 24 units for theme “Satisfaction,” and 22 units for theme “Attention.” The significant findings from the themes were: The Confidence theme was found to include providing key information upfront to students. The design of the course must allow for student success and become progressively more difficult for students. Also, the time and effort required to complete activities should be provided to students. The Relevance theme was found to include the use of “choices” and to relate the course to the student’s situation as key motivational components. The Satisfaction theme was found to include negative consequences that are handled within the course, and practice that offers immediate feedback. The Attention theme was found to include students asking students questions within the course. Recommendations for further studies included a qualitative study to uncover how online Business students are motivated in their second and later years and a study to understand student motivation through various settings and technologies used in learning management system course elements.

The purpose of this study is to investigate a college computer course delivered in both online and face-to-face classes. As more online courses and programs emerge, concerns about the quality and comparability of online instruction with face-to-face instruction have arisen. Questions about the relative effectiveness of each mode of instruction are important both at the stage of course development and at the stage of course delivery. Earlier comparative studies have shown that online courses were equal to face-to-face courses. These studies evaluated student services and technological infrastructure, student satisfaction, and learning outcomes. However, few studies have been conducted on computer applications at the community college level. This study seeks to fill in this gap by providing students’ perceptions of computer education for a business program at the three-year diploma level. This study has examined the learning environment and informed practice by presenting differentiation and diversity mainly due to different mode of delivery in a college computer course. This study aims to provide a detailed understanding of the similarities and differences of college students attending online class versus face-to-face class taught by the same professor. It examines students’ perceptions of course design and delivery, their attitudes and beliefs about acquisition of computer applications, and their academic achievement as measured by the test scores. Mixed methods are employed to investigate the research questions both in depth and in breadth. In the Fall of 2009, 60 out of 89 eligible participants filled out the online questionnaire resulting in the response rate of 67% and six students participated one-on-one in-person interviews. Results from both quantitative and qualitative studies show that there is no significant difference between the face-to-face and online students with respect to their perceptions, attitudes, motivation, and learning outcomes. The findings demonstrate that there was no evidence showing difference between online learning and face-to-face learning. The different learning modes provide students with positive learning experiences. This study provides stakeholders such as students, college administrators, and professors with a detailed and meaningful understanding of the important learning environments for the online and face-to-face classes. The implications from the findings will help to enhance, advance, and expand face-to-face and online education at both the theoretical and practical level.