<p> The need to belong and connect with others is universal among human beings. Technological advances make connecting and belonging possible via technologies, without face to face interaction. This new ubiquitous way of belonging and connecting is seen in all areas of communication, including work, schools and social environments. Online learning programs pose new challenges and questions. The purpose of this study was to learn more about the importance of sense of community within blended online programs and to determine whether there are specific learning activities that either enhance or detract from a sense of community. This information will inform course developers as to how to build community enhancing learning activities into blended online courses. </p><p> Forty-three graduate students enrolled in three different blended online programs from one University participated in an online survey process. The Classroom Community Scale (CCS) was used to assess an overall sense of community as well as 2 subscales; connectedness and learning. Overall, 86% of the subjects reported a sense of community within their educational program. Specific learning activities were assessed for use as well as student perceptions regarding whether the activity enhanced or detracted from the sense of community. Learning activities that were both collaborative in nature and synchronous were those rated by students as enhancing the sense of community. The most utilized learning activities were reading, synchronous discussions, collaborative assignments, writing and asynchronous discussions. Enhancing activities included face to face orientation pre-program start, collaborative projects, synchronous virtual sessions and group presentations.</p><p> To enhance community in online programs, it is recommended that an initial pre-program face to face session can best serve to build the initial community and support more effective learning. Additionally, course developers should incorporate synchronous and collaborative learning activities as much as possible within the structure of the course. Finally, faculty could use the CCS to measure connectedness and learning as a way to understand the learning and community preferences of the students in order to determine options and alternatives for learning and assignment completion.</p>

<p> Shared governance is seen by higher education professionals as a necessity to effectively run a university. This form of governance requires that faculty at institutions of higher education have the primary responsibility over curriculum, subject matter, methods of instruction, research, faculty status, and aspects of student life which relate to the education process (American Association of University Professors [AAUP], 2011). </p><p> In order to garner the benefits of shared governance, faculty and administrators, plus governance boards should exchange information and opinions freely and often. Governance bodies should be created that facilitate communication among faculty, administrators, and governance boards (AAUP, 2011). In addition, Jenkins and Jensen (2010) argued that faculty members must be willing to commit time and energy to work and cooperate with the administration. Unless faculty members work on committees, spend hours reviewing documents and express informed points of view, sharing responsibility for governing the institution cannot succeed. Today shared governance may be weakened by the increased reliance on adjunct faculty members who may rarely be expected or given the opportunity to participate in institutional governance. This often leads to situations in which there are too few full-time faculty members to share the responsibility of governing the institution. The goal of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between academic administrators' leadership styles and two variables. These variables included faculty's level of participation in governance and faculty's satisfaction of shared governance. In addition, this study compared levels of participation in governance and the satisfaction of shared governance between full-time and adjunct faculty members.</p>

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Diploma in Technology: Post-School Education, Technikon Natal, 1997. / The title of this research dissertation includes the appellation 'Natal'. Since the work began in 1989, the name of that province has officially become 'KwaZulu-Natal'. However, the previous designation has largely been used interchangeably with the present one, mainly because the course evaluated was and has been identified with Natal. This research was inspired by the assumption that the Communication Skills I course presently being offered to engineering students at technikons in South Africa did not appear to satisfy the workplace needs (in terms of content and time) of the engineering industry. This assumption arose out of a pilot study undertaken by the writer in 1989. In this pilot study, engineering companies were visited, and interviews were held with managers/directors/training managers, to ascertain the communication skills requirements of engineering technicians in the workplace. Many criticisms were made regarding the communication competency of engineering technicians in the workplace. According to the findings of the pilot study, engineering practitioners hold the view that the literacy skill demands of jobs are increasing while the basic skills of the available workforce, eg. reading, writing and speaking are decreasing. Employers expressed concern with the large numbers of workers who lack such skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking, and believe that this limits their chances of upward mobility in the workplace as well as their ability to adapt to workplace changes. All these factors, according to employers, have a negative impact on productivity levels. It was, as a result of the pilot study, suggested that engineering curricula, specifically the Communication Skills I course, should be fully evaluated to see to what extent they meet the workplace requirements of industry. What seems important is that the engineering technician should practise what has been learned and for the lecturer/instructor to bring practitioners and the workplace experiences into the classroom. / M

<p> The racial classification of Armenian American college students as White leads to the lack of ethnic-specific data on their educational outcomes and experiences. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of Armenian American college students of their campus climate. The study used an interview approach to examine the conditions that supported or inhibited their college experience. Campus Climate was used as a conceptual lens to guide this study. The study revealed four themes: family influence, mainstream campus culture, Armenian campus culture, and hidden minority status. Impersonal campus conditions inhibited Armenian American students&rsquo; experience; conversely, personable campus conditions, supported their college experience. The findings demonstrated that these students constantly negotiate between their Armenian ethnic identity and American student identity while finding ways to connect to their campus environment. Policy and practice recommendations include increasing awareness, presence, and inclusion of this population on college campuses.</p>

<p> Young adults between the ages of 16 and 30 are typically at the stage of their life when they should be transitioning from school, gaining employability skills, and entering the workforce (Settersten et al., 2005; van Gennep, 1960). An estimated 1.3 million undocumented, DACA eligible youth are currently in this transitional life stage (Hipsman, G&oacute;mez-Agui&ntilde;aga, &amp; Capps, 2016), and another 80,000-90,000 will enter this stage each year (Batalova et al., 2014) where their opportunities for gaining skills and quality legal employment will impact their futures (Becker, 1992; Schultz, 1961). Struggling to find a path towards meaningful careers, these young adults know that if they are not able to gain additional education, training, and quality work they will be trapped in an underground society, working in under-the-table jobs that are way below their potential, education, and skills abilities, and are ultimately unable to escape poverty and support themselves and their families (Anguiano, 2011; Bank-Mu&ntilde;oz, 2009; Bernstein &amp; Blazer, 2008; Burman, 2013; Gildersleeve, 2010; Gonzales, 2007, 2008, 2009b, 2011a; Gonzales &amp; Chavez, 2012; Hudson, 2012; Padr&oacute;n, 2007/2008; Snyder, 2013).</p><p> In lieu of comprehensive immigration reform, this study sought to identify policy recommendations that would assist the DACA youth to develop skills, continue with their education, and ultimately enter into the workforce in legal employment opportunities. Two theories framed this study and a third was used as a lens in which to view the issues. These theories are human capital theory, national human resource development (NHRD), and Kingdon&rsquo;s multiple streams theory. The intersection of these three theories brings together (a) the traditional economic foundation of how organizations make determinations regarding who and when to invest in the skill development of individuals, or whether the investments should be made by the individuals themselves (human capital theory), (b) what interventions can be utilized to develop skills and how policy should be used to promote those interventions (national human resource development), and (c) how these elements are brought together to formulate policy (Kingdon, 2003).</p><p> Using an iterative survey methodology called a Policy Delphi this study obtained a compendium of viewpoints from the diverse perspectives of the stakeholders represented and identified 94 specific policy recommendations. There are five barriers to skill development (transportation, education, access to information, families and first-generation issues, and hopes, dreams and fears) and four barriers to accessing legal employment opportunities (knowledge of jobs available, employability skills, a lack of having credentials and experience, and the behavior and practices of employers). There are three facilitators to skill development (attaining higher education credentials, the importance of advising, and motivation) and five facilitators to employment (work authorization, bilingual proficiency, educational credentials, internships, and mentoring). These barriers and facilitators led to the identification of 94 policy recommendations which were ranked by desirability, importance, and feasibility/likelihood. Greater than 80% of the policy recommendations were desirable or very desirable and all 94 recommendations were important or very important. However, out of the 94 recommendations there is only a moderate belief that any of the policy suggestions are feasible or likely to be addressed despite their desirability or importance. Beyond the rhetoric surrounding immigration and who is and is not desirable to be a part of the U.S. workforce, there is a more nuanced and subdued element that emerged through this study that is more salient than any others, and that is the issue of addressing social inequalities on a broad scale.</p>

<p> The Society of Jesus sponsors more colleges and universities than any other religious order in American Catholic Higher Education. At Jesuit institutions, the decline of members of the sponsoring order, challenging admissions markets, and financial pressures are some of the forces that are impacting already existing tensions. These tensions in which American Jesuit schools choose to live generate particular challenges, each shaped by the context of an individual school. This study is focused on the ways that leaders of six Jesuit institutions are thinking about these tensions and responding to the challenges that result from choosing to live in them.</p><p> Research revealed that the declining number of Jesuits, and the increasing number of students who claim to have no religious affiliation, have cracked foundational assumptions on these campuses. This uneasiness, coupled with increased pressure to enroll classes and stabilize financial positions, has created concerns about whether or not the religious mission of the institutions can be sustained long-term. It is clear that presidents play an important role in balancing these tensions, and that their focus or lack of focus on the religious mission sets the tone for a campus. As a result, presidents and mission officers are working more intentionally to interpret the mission, and ways it is promulgated on campus given the current circumstances. This includes practices like hiring for mission, mission programming for faculty and staff, and efforts to educate faculty and staff in the foundational principles of the Jesuits. Leaders are working to build a critical mass of faculty and staff members who are both educated in the foundational mission and who care deeply about preserving it for future generations of students. This critical mass will help address the long term issues presented by current tensions, and prevent future questions about the sustainability of the mission.</p>

An increasingly important aspect of general education preparation is education for free time, or leisure education. Little experimental research concerning leisure knowledge and leisure attitude has occurred in education, social psychology, or in the field of leisure. / This investigation was designed to determine what effect a leisure-education workshop, adapting and implementing the Mundy/Odum Leisure Education Model, had on leisure knowledge and leisure attitude of selected student-affairs personnel. The 104 subjects were student-affairs personnel from Florida State University. / Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups (two experimental, two control). The experimental groups participated in a three-hour workshop based on the model. Subjects in experimental group (1) were asked to complete the Leisure Awareness Questionnaire and the Ragheb-Beard Leisure Attitude Scale as pre-tests. These two instruments were repeated, with the addition of the Workshop Questionnaire, at the conclusion of the workshop. Subjects in control group (1) completed the Leisure Awareness Questionnaire and Leisure Attitude Scale as pre-tests. Subjects in experimental group (2) were asked to complete the Leisure Awareness Questionnaire and Leisure Attitude Scale as post-tests, with the addition of the Workshop Questionnaire at the conclusion of the workshop. Subjects in control group (2) completed the Leisure Awareness Questionnaire and Leisure Attitude Scale as post-tests. / The dependent variables were leisure knowledge and leisure attitude. The independent variables were the treatment (three-hour leisure education workshop) and the pre-tests. Hypotheses were tested with 2 x 2 ANOVA. / Findings indicate the treatment had a significant (at .05 level) effect on leisure knowledge and the behavioral component of leisure attitude. The results suggest that a leisure-education workshop based on the Mundy-Odum Model can significantly affect leisure knowledge and the behavioral component of leisure attitude. The model should be further explored as a potentially useful model for educating student-affairs personnel in leisure education. Further research is needed in examining similar and longer-term effects, and in comparing results of other types of training based on this model. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-06, Section: A, page: 2097. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

In the last few decades, the growth of administration costs on higher education campuses surpassed the growth of instructional costs. The escalating costs of higher education, which are now outpacing general price levels, have raised concern for policy-makers who are challenged to increase access and make higher education affordable but are constrained by budgets. The recent recession, with wide-spread effect on economy, provided the opportunity to examine cost patterns on higher education during the recession. This research explored different revenue, costs, staff composition, and state-level factors that might be associated with administration costs, and compared these to the association of the same independent variables on instructional costs for three types of public four year institutions. This research examined the changes in costs during the last recession. Panel data of a cohort of public institutions with non-missing values over a 23 year period of 1988 to 2010 were analyzed within fixed effect regression models. Revenue factors were shown to have positive relationships with administration costs, and other factors had mixed associations. While descriptive trend analysis showed a decrease in administration costs in the short-run, regression analysis incorporating 23 years of data did not show such decline from a long-term perspective. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / September 8, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert Schwartz, Professor Directing Dissertation; Diana Rice, University Representative; Shouping Hu, Committee Member; David Tandberg, Committee Member.

The Florida Articulation Agreement and common course numbering make transferring from a Florida College System (FCS) institution to a Florida State University System (SUS) institution almost seamless. With 28 state colleges across the sunshine state, many students opt to begin their college careers in these institutions that were all once known as community colleges. The purpose of this study was to examine if transferring from an FCS institution after the first two years of undergraduate study and earning an associate's degree negatively affects student success in terms of bachelor's degree attainment, academic performance, and time to bachelor's degree. Students that earned an associate of arts (AA) degree from any of the 28 FCS institutions and then transferred into the University of Florida (UF) were compared with their native rising junior counterparts at UF. This study found that overall rising juniors did outperform the associate of arts degree FCS transfer student peers. Rising juniors did better in overall graduation grade point average (GPA), time to degree, and in bachelor's degree attainment in six years or less. African American associate of arts degree earning transfer students however, did earn higher GPAs than their African American rising junior counterparts. College personnel and student affairs professionals should continue to study the transfer student population as a unique subset of students to better understand the different challenges they face at the university level and how they can be best prepared for academic success. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / October 6, 2015. / Articulation, Junior, Rising, Student, Success, Transfer / Includes bibliographical references. / Shouping Hu, Professor Directing Dissertation; Lance Dehaven-Smith, University Representative; Robert Schwartz, Committee Member; David Tandberg, Committee Member.

Title VII is a federal anti-discrimination in employment statute that was passed as a part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The passage of Title VII of the 1964 Act was the result of years of political wrangling to enact federal legislation to eliminate discrimination in employment. Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement fought for the Act's passage in order to improve the economic well-being of African Americans in the United States who were still fighting the effects of overt discrimination. Title VII made it unlawful for employers to discriminate against American citizens based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. At the time of the Act's passage, state and local government employees as well as employees of educational institutions were not protected by the Act. It would not be until eight years later that the 1964 Act was amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 that these individuals would come under the purview of the statute. As time went on, Title VII would undergo more changes as the judiciary worked to interpret the law and Congress sought to specifically delineate its intent in passing the statute. Meanwhile, institutions of higher education across the country would begin its own metamorphosis from the isolated ivory tower of old to a new modern multi-billion dollar business that employs thousands of employees. This study seeks to understand the university as an employer; specifically, this study wants to understand how Title VII works at institutions of higher education in light of higher-education-specific concepts such as: tenure and academic deference. Using legal historical methods, the researcher analyzed federal circuit court cases in order to determine whether any special rules, concerns, or considerations arise in the application of Title VII to higher education institutions and whether any changes should be made in how these cases are litigated. In particular, the researcher studied: failure to promote, denial of tenure, termination, and failure to hire employment decisions in light of the employment environment as well as academic-specific concepts such as academic deference as a special concern of academic freedom as well as tenure. Further, the phenomenon of the corporatization of higher education is an additional factor under consideration in this study. Ultimately, this study seeks to understand how Title VII, initially inapplicable to educational institutions, responds to this particular environment. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / November 9, 2015. / application, Employment Discrimination, Higher Education, Title VII / Includes bibliographical references. / David Tandberg, Professor Directing Dissertation; Lee Stepina, University Representative; Robert Schwartz, Committee Member; Marytza Gawlik, Committee Member; Franita Tolson, Committee Member.