<p> For students with disabilities, inclusion implies more than access as stipulated through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its 2008 Amendments Act. It indicates the idea of a communal experience that attempts to develop a culture wherein the full participation of diverse students is established through proactive decisions and allows them to engage in aspects of campus life "in a seamless and real-time manner" (Huger, 2011, p. 5). The purpose of this study was to explore conversations surrounding disability, as understood by students with physical impairments, in order to make meaning of their lived experiences, the messages they receive, and their interpretations of those messages. Using discourse analysis as both a theory and method (Gee, 2011), seven students self-identifying with physical impairment were asked to discuss their college experiences; what factors impact their decisions regarding involvement; what it means to be "inclusive"; what they feel their institutions do to create and encourage inclusive campuses; and what they think non-disabled peers think of them. </p><p> Despite interviews designed to focus conversations on social involvement and engagement, participants often gravitated toward their educational pursuits and specific concerns based upon individual disability needs. Students de-emphasized extra-curricular involvement in favor of adherence to objectives for successful academic pursuits, often requiring they weigh the physical and wellness tolls such activities could take on their bodies. Considering how respondents speak of their university experiences, this paper argues the discourses of disability are understood as seriously academic and seriously medical or health related. Further, while participants stated overall positive experiences at their universities, analysis of the conversations revealed encounters with physical access problems and difficulties with interactions and interpersonal relationships on campus. This suggests a deeper complexity to their initial assertions, perhaps highlighting the low expectations students with physical impairments hold toward true inclusion and the degree to which bad has to be sensed as bad enough to reach the level of being truly damaging to their view of the overall experience. Implications for this study are to help the university community&mdash;administrators, faculty, and students&mdash;understand the decision-making process for students with disabilities regarding campus involvement.</p>

<p> In recent decades, there has been increasing pressure for teacher accountability and interest in teacher evaluation throughout the world. While much research has been conducted on significant factors contributing to high student achievement, including the examination of the positive correlation between the faculty evaluation process and student success, there is a lack of research in the Vietnamese culture on faculty perceptions of the meaning and influences of faculty performance evaluation. This study addressed faculty perceptions of a particular evaluation process and their perceptions of its impact on their teaching performance. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore full-time faculty members' perceptions of the evaluation or performance appraisal (PA) process currently implemented in a private university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The study utilized data obtained from individual, semi-structured interviews with12 full-time faculty participants. After data analysis, the following salient findings were identified. First, faculty found a PA process that emphasized both competency and highlighted professional growth beneficial and motivating in measuring their performance and enhancing their teaching quality. Second, significant factors contributing to faculty positive perceptions of the PA process and to faculty instructional improvement included the clarity of the PA purpose, faculty involvement in the PA design and development, and the critical role of the evaluator and his/her constructive feedback in the PA process. Finally, faculty strongly recommended that additional types of evaluation, especially student feedback, be incorporated into the PA process and more opportunities be made available for professional development. As a result of these findings, this study could serve as a catalyst for policymakers and school leaders in improving the existing evaluation processes and in increasing their insight into how instructors perceive these policies and what factors contribute to their perceptions. In addition, the findings could stimulate further research on appraisal policy reform. Identifying key factors that instructors believe are critical in an effective evaluations process could assist the leadership in finding tools to make process meet instructors' expectations. </p>

<p> While public higher education is facing numerous pressures the core function of the institution remains student learning. Students, taxpayers, state legislators, alumni, and parents expect returns on their financial investments. Employers expect college graduates hired to read, write, and communicate effectively. In the mean-time, public universities are facing reductions in state allocations and a higher number of students enrolling, with many enrolling under prepared and in need of additional services. </p><p> Public universities are more reliant on tuition to balance their budget and find new revenue streams at the same time. Often these revenue-generating activities move the institutional focus away from student learning. This tension between student learning and new revenue streams requires campuses to have especially effective and efficient operations. </p><p> This case study research project focuses on the factors that affect student learning at one public Midwestern university. Data for this project were collected through studying publications, observing campus stakeholders and attending campus meetings, and interviewing students, faculty, and staff. The information collected was sorted into overarching themes. </p><p> Three themes emerged. First, centralization of certain campus functions is an ally to achieving campus-wide goals, such as improving retention or increasing graduation rates. Campus processes such as advising, which is a critical success relationship for students, needs an overarching mission, purpose, and procedures to assure equitable experience for all students. Decentralized advising processes causes great variance. The second theme is alignment. As resources diminish, the critical factor for institutions is not how many student services it offers, but rather how resources are allocated to serve the most students. The final theme is messaging. A comprehensive campus-wide messaging program that drives students to use programs is needed. Offering programs and services for students is a first step but insufficient without the active examination of their access and effect. The true assessment of campus services and programs is how many students use them and how successful those students are. A strong messaging program informs stakeholders of expectations and keeps the dialogue current. </p><p> Higher education is highly valued and sought after. The role it serves in society is endless. However, the institutional framework for universities conducting these activities needs be effective and continuing to look for ways to improve.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007. / Prepared for: School of Education. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [140]-148). Also available online.

Thesis--University of Chicago. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. "Selected bibliography": p. 252-253.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (PhD (Public Affairs))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 236-248). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2485. Adviser: William T. Trent. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 199-210) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> Declining scholarly writing abilities are well-documented among college students and are of particular concern in schools of nursing whose graduates are groomed to become leaders in the nation&rsquo;s healthcare system. Reasons for students&rsquo; poor writing are multifactorial; however, faculty&rsquo;s inability to correctly identify errors and wide variability in grading practices have been identified as major components. A doctoral translating evidence into nursing practice project was designed to study the effectiveness of a faculty-focused writing course on (1) improving identification of errors, (2) reducing inaccurate feedback, and (3) reducing grading variability. This descriptive, crosssectional, interventional study was implemented at a private liberal arts university in the Midwest. Results were measured by having participants grade the same fictitious student paper containing 41 grammatical, punctuation, capitalization, and APA formatting errors pre and post the interventional course. Sixty-seven participants completed the four-week online writing course, and 43 participants completed the study with fully evaluable data. The writing course significantly increased the number of errors identified and decreased the number of inaccurate comments on the fictitious paper; however, overall grading variability remained unchanged. The study identified characteristics of faculty most proficient in grading practices and ways to potentially improve faculty writing and grading abilities. The creation of a guide to assist students in writing and faculty with grading APA formatted papers was an incidental outcome of the study.</p>