<p> Employers, parents, legislators and researchers have expressed concerns that students are graduating from college at low rates, take too long to graduate, and do not possess the proper knowledge or skills to be successful at work or wherever life may take them. Many claim that the curriculum at colleges and universities no longer meets the needs of the students, employers, graduate programs, and society at large. One of the many potential solutions is reforming the undergraduate curriculum.</p><p> This research examines the factors that motivated two institutions to reform their curricula in efforts to improve student success. Both of the institutions are relatively small liberal arts educational organizations, one public and the other private. Each institution has differing missions and goals and is at a different point in its development. The study attempts to describe what was important enough to motivate them to change their curricula and why it mattered.</p><p> This research investigates the reforms of the two institutions in a case study manner, drawing upon published information and personal interviews to analyze what took place. The inquiry centered upon six basic questions. 1. What was the impetus for changing the curriculum? 2. What was the process used in changing the curriculum? 3. What changes were made to the curriculum? 4. What student outcomes were achieved? 5. How did the curriculum reform impact the institution? 6. What lessons were learned through the reform process? </p><p> Reforming a curriculum is a long, complex process, requiring input and consensus from many stakeholders, especially faculty. The manner in which each organization gained faculty endorsement for the reform is analyzed. Actual changes made to the curricula are documented. The research explores student outcomes and the impact that the reform had on the faculty and institutions. Then the researcher attempts to obtain indications that the improvements made by the institutions are achieving the intended goals. Learning is a complex phenomenon to assess, and every organization is challenged to find a way to assess learning effectively.</p><p> The research reports on what took place, what was learned, and what other potential curriculum reformers can expect if they, too, embark upon reform. The study shows that faculty and strong faculty leaders (often cited in the literature as causes of ineffectual curricula) are crucial to the reform process and without adequate assessment, the true results of a reform cannot be known. Much remains to be learned about the extent to which curriculum reform can improve higher education and in fact be a cure of societal maladies. Opportunities for improvement abound. The researcher attempts to identify similarities and differences, seeking fundamental conclusions. In this manner the study proposes to be used as a resource for other educational organizations interested in either improving or completely revamping their curricula.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research is to better understand curricular and pedagogical strategies that can play a role in college retention rates and the first-year academic experience for new students. This research aims to contribute to a larger effort to create a learning environment in which first-year students would be engaged, learn, adapt, and accomplish learning outcomes needed to be successful in university level course work. The two research questions are; how do college faculty prepare to help first-year students&rsquo; transition in to university level coursework and how do college faculty view their role in teaching first-year college students? The method of this qualitative case study included one survey taken by Cadence State University (CSU) faculty who teach first-year college students and two interviews with one staff member and one administrative staff whom both work closely with faculty teaching first-year students. The results showed professional development/training and university support for faculty from CSU is needed to educate and keep faculty informed on first-year students. It was also found that transformed pedagogy with utilization of active learning and various teaching strategies plays a significant role in helping first-year students adjust to university coursework, as well as, faculty understanding the impact they have on first-year students. The conclusion to this study reveals there needs to be a teaching culture shift where faculty take action, learn what is needed, and implement transitional pedagogy to help first-year students&rsquo; transition into university coursework. Faculty must understand their impact on new students and that they set the foundation of university coursework in their first couple of days of class. Additionally, faculty using communication and being approachable, yet not compromising their higher education standards will help faculty view their role with first-year students as important and necessary.</p><p>

This was a pedagogical study, designed to evaluate the effects of a course for small groups in the classroom as a different approach to teaching and learning instructions for underprepared minority students' academic performance, problem-solving and interpersonal communication skills. To determine the effectiveness of the small group method of approach, the pre- and post-experimental/control group design was used. The control group received thirteen two-hour-per-week sessions (one semester) of the traditional method of approach to teaching and learning instruction. At the same time, the experimental group received the non-traditional small group method of approach. Both groups consisted of sixteen students who were randomly selected. The researcher administered pre- and post-surveys and testing measurements which focused on academic performance, problem-solving and interpersonal communication skills. An independent observer was also used. The experimental group (only) received survey measurements which examined written responses relative to the influence of the small group experience. The t-test was used for data analysis to determine significant difference. Upon examination of the data, there was a significant difference in the performance of students in the experimental group than those in the control group on measures of the BSAT reading and writing, end-of-semester grade point average and problem-solving skills. There was no significant difference on the interpersonal communication measure; however, the data revealed the experimental group as having a higher improved score relative to the control group on the measure of the Interpersonal Communication Inventory. In summary, the data indicate that the small group method of approach can make a significant difference in students' academic performance and improve their effectiveness in problem-solving, as well as influence their interpersonal communication skills.

<p> This inquiry investigated four design educators&rsquo; perspectives and beliefs of global competence teaching and learning, and aimed to inform effective global competence curricula planning and instruction across disciplines. The literature uncovered multiple reasons to warrant design educator reflections: (a) similarities among global competence and design thinking characteristics, (b) design education accreditation emphasis on globally oriented standards, and (c) design thinking as a resource to improve practices across disciplines. Accordingly, the inquiry employed a qualitative design and a multiple case-study approach. Data collection methods included: (a) interviews, (b) image artifacts, and (c) researcher reflective memos. A comparative analysis used systematic coding to reveal core theme statements grounded in the data. </p><p> The inquiry revealed all four design educators believed: (a) active learning and information gathering activities were effective ways to teach global competence, (b) interaction with others from different backgrounds contributed to global competence development, (c) a formal education experience changed the ways they view the world and empathize with others, (d) the critique was an effective global competence teaching and learning tool, and (e) the role of perception processes fostered ability to recognize qualities of other people and places. All four design educators&rsquo; image artifacts represented meanings and interpretations of global competence as human-centered, and expressed physical connection. Ultimately, three overarching discoveries emerged: (a) design educators use mindshifts to develop global competence, (b) design educators are makers of their global competence development, and (c) design educators are mature motivators of global competence development. </p><p> The inquiry concluded with a model for design education global competence development grounded in the data and the literature. Implications for action connected to three higher education teaching and learning areas: (a) mindfulness, (b) the maker movement, and (c) mindsets. Overall, the four design educators&rsquo; information-rich narratives and practical curricula design applications presented in this inquiry aim to encourage other educators to relate the global dimensions of their own disciplines to current teaching and research practice.</p>

<p> This study sought to address the challenge of interesting university professors in adopting more deliberate and integrated approaches to course design through a multi-case study of five professors in the liberal arts at a top-tier research university. Professors watched video-recorded interviews with five of their own past students who were graduates of the university. The researcher interviewed the professors before and after they viewed the alumni feedback. Professors were asked to reflect on what most surprised and concerned them in the interviews and if and how they were inclined or disinclined to alter their courses. Professors were also asked to compare feedback from alumni to feedback from students. Central findings related to the research questions were that: (a) professors&rsquo; views of their course and course design changed after receiving feedback from their alumni; (b) professors perceived a need to alter their course design when they received surprising and concerning feedback from alumni; (c) but, feedback needed to be sufficiently concerning for professors to be inclined to alter their course designs, and (d) even then, several factors disinclined professors to follow through on changes. These factors opposing change include professors&rsquo; recollections of their college experiences, lack of pedagogical and course design knowledge, and university disincentives to focus on teaching. Professors appreciated hearing from the alumni because alumni had longer-term and more real world perspective than current students and were unconcerned about grades. Professors uniformly disliked, and to a great extent disregarded, student feedback from course evaluations because surveys are anonymous and lack context about who is making a comment and why. In contrast, the alumni interviews allowed professors to see and hear personalized feedback that provided context for which individual said what. Several additional findings emerged from the research. These were: (a) professors developed courses based on limited understanding of what students retained in a course; (b) professors relied considerably on their own educational experiences and on trial and error in creating courses and in their teaching; and (c) professors&rsquo; dislike of course evaluations made them skeptical of student feedback. These findings have potential significance for professors, faculty developers, universities, and students because they suggest an avenue for impacting faculty attitudes about their course design by planting seeds of curiosity about the link between design and course impact. Findings also support the use of alumni interviews as a tool for collecting feedback and existing evidence that faculty development efforts are best when they are personal, context-specific, and endure over time. Because this was a small exploratory study, repeating the alumni interview approach with more faculty and alumni is recommended.</p>

<p> The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine the three different types of interactions (student-student, student-instructor, and student-content) that occur in an online language learning classroom and whether the amount of time spent predicted the performance in two key areas, grammar proficiency and vocabulary knowledge. This study also examined the way students felt about motivating themselves in an online language learning classroom. The study involved 40 students enrolled in an entirely online entry-level Spanish course who completed a survey about their experience in the online environment and an assessment of their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar points in the language. </p><p> The multiple regression analyses revealed that the amount of time spent in interactions with the content for the course was a predictor for grammar proficiency, but no other interactions were predictors for grammar proficiency or vocabulary knowledge. The participants discussed the difficulty of motivating themselves and how they stayed motivated in the online environment. This study provided some considerations for practitioners in an online environment, but also called into question the efficacy of learning a language in an entirely online environment.</p>

<p> The world today needs citizens that value and behave in response to an ever-accelerating ecological crisis. Place-based environmental education delivered in an expeditionary framework can facilitate the development of students' conservation ethic and action. This thesis seeks to apply research on conservation psychology and environmental education in the design of a comprehensive, semester-long, field-based expeditionary curriculum focused on landscape studies of the Colorado Plateau taught at Prescott College. The research and curriculum design explore the question: <i>What are the critical elements of an expeditionary, place-based semester curriculum that instill a conservation ethic and action within students?</i> This question was explored through curriculum design and implementation informed by textual research and theory and in utilizing the application of heuristic research methodologies. As a result, the research grounds and integrates the awareness to action continuum into an expeditionary field semester curriculum to present the critical elements of fostering a conservation ethic in students, using a creative applied thesis format.</p><p>

<p> The study investigated the use of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) in English and Business classrooms in Higher Education from the context of learners&rsquo; performance outcomes, as well as stakeholders&rsquo; (learners, administrators, and faculty) perceptions pertaining to their experiences when using an MMOG based curriculum. The findings strongly suggest that MMOGs helped enhance learner performances in statistically significant ways, and provided valuable insights into elements of interest and concerns of stakeholders about MMOG usage in classrooms. Based on these insights, I designed a practitioners&rsquo; guide to assist future scholars interested in this curricular approach. This guide provides innovative tips on show how faculty, administrators and institutions may imbibe this cutting-edge technology in easy and affordable ways within classrooms, while dealing with several concerns such stakeholders may have regarding the use of such games. Given the rise in popularity of game based technology and the existing literature on the value of game based education, coupled with a paucity of studies examining applicability and implementation issues in the context of using MMOGs, I hope that this submission will be a valuable contribution to the literature.</p><p>

<p> Doctoral student attrition was calculated at approximately 50% or greater for nearly 50 years. Exceptionally high attrition in the social sciences, humanities, and online programs was identified. The cost to students, institutions and society was of significant concern. Most students were found capable of degree completion. The median timeframe for completion was approximately 7.9 -12.7 years. Long-term student persistence was relevant to theories of social exchange, person-organization fit, positive psychology, self-determination, suicide theory, organizational support, connectivism, persistence, failure, choice and goal theory, and the theory of involvement. Critically, higher education was viewed as an employment strategy. Students continually analyze the cost benefit of attendance, their perception of time to reward, and the reliability of the reward to provide value. The institution was considered accountable for student resilience. Program alignment with career opportunities, proactive transition management, sustainable interventions, non-academic mentoring, and occupational socialization were essential to persistence. Missing were parameters for a university-wide infrastructure to manage supporting activities, particularly partnerships with industry to facilitate long-term occupational socialization through mentoring. Corporate learning partnerships and human capital management strategies were briefly explored. A university-based doctoral student support center was structured using management and value-system models. Leadership, accountability, costs, and funding were considered in system building. Mixed-method interviews of 75-120 minutes were conducted with 15 managers with relevant experience. Approaches to partners and providing ROI required understanding organizational values and culture. Long-term partnerships supporting part-time online doctoral students appeared sustainable, and stable protocol for partnership management was identified.</p><p>

<p> Computational Thinking continues to gain popularity and traction within conversations about curriculum development for the 21^st century, but little exists in the literature to guide the inclusion of Computational Thinking into curriculum outside of K12. This Delphi study seeks to fill part of the gap in the literature and instantiate conversation in the Higher Education community about the importance of CT as a topic, and how it may be approached formally in curriculum development. </p><p> Over 3 rounds of Delphi panel deliberation, several interesting and informative themes emerged related to issues of domain expertise, interdisciplinary collaboration, and ensurance of quality and integrity of computational knowledge, attitudes and practices through curricular initiatives. Additionally, potential solutions and vehicles for delivering strong outcomes are identified and discussed, through the lens of Landscapes of Practice (Wenger, 2014). </p>