<p> As the demand for online higher education increases, community colleges find themselves under pressure to secure qualified faculty members to deliver courses in that modality. The challenge, however, is that there is a dearth of qualified faculty members who are familiar with online instruction tools and who can deliver quality online instruction. To meet that need South County Community College (SCCC pseudonym) created the Online Teaching Certification (OTC) course designed to prepare faculty to teach in the online classroom. </p><p> This qualitative case study sought to examine the experiences and perceptions of 16 faculty members who completed the Online Teaching Certification (OTC) course to determine the extent to which the OTC course effectively contributed to the improvement of their ability to teach online courses and which components of the course warranted improvement. Data included interviews with the participants, site observations, and an analysis of existing documents in order to triangulate perspectives from multiple sources. Malcolm Knowles Adult Learning Theory provided the framework to analyze the data. </p><p> Participants felt the OTC had overall success in preparing them to teach online. The most effective components of the OTC course identified were the structure of the course which was aligned with best practices including the Online Education Initiative&rsquo;s Course Design Rubric, the activities in the course which mirrored those that faculty would use in their own online classes, and the sense of learning community enhanced by classroom activities including discussion forums, peer-to-peer feedback, and instructor interaction with the students. The least effective component was the self-paced format (no firm due dates for assignments) which some of the participants believed impacted the building of community in the course due to irregular participation. Recommendations for policy include requiring administrators who evaluate faculty who teach online to take the course, and requiring faculty who teach online to engage in professional development related to online instruction. </p><p>

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Feb. 1, 2010). Additional advisors: Martha S. Barber, Lois M. Christensen, Dave Dagley, Tondra Loder-Jackson, Boyd Rogan. Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-110).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-102).

Thesis (M. Ed. (Education))--Rhodes University, 2004. / In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Education (Education Leadership and Management).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1996. / Title from title page screen, viewed May 22, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Paul J. Baker (chair), Dianne Ashby, Donald Kachur, William Rau, David Turner. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-215) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006. / Title from title page screen, viewed on May 11, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Paul J. Baker (chair), Joseph Pacha, Norman D. Durflinger, Jeffry B. Nelson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-216) and abstract. Also available in print.

<p> Institutional accreditation in the last decades has been studies as an important assessment that ensures the quality of higher education institutions. The growth of the economy around the world has placed value on evaluating universities&rsquo; accountability and effectiveness. Therefore, one of the most significant current discussions in higher education institutions is obtaining international accreditation. Consequently, Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s institutional accreditation system is seeking to improve higher education institutions&rsquo; quality assurance and accountability by preparing them for international accreditation. However, only 12 universities out of 34 have been accredited at the institutional level by the NCAAA. As a result, one of the major challenges facing Saudi institutions is their ability to meet accreditation standards concerning institutional effectiveness, governance, and leadership. Therefore, this quantitative study examined the extent to which Saudi universities prepare for international accreditation in the areas of governance and leadership. A comparison of accredited and non-accredited universities was done using a Mann-Whitney U test based on faculty and administrators&rsquo; perceptions of leadership and governance. The study concluded that Saudi universities are prepared to meet international institutional accreditation standards in the areas of governance and leadership. An effective strategy is needed to promote the accreditation process successfully. </p><p>

<p> This research explores Hmong parents&rsquo; choices and experiences in choosing district provided educational programs that provide instruction in Hmong language for their children. The study involved interviews with district employees who have created, implemented and/or teach in district provided Hmong language programs. These interviews were followed by focus group interviews with Hmong parents about the choices and experiences of district provided Hmong language programs. Findings were that administrators were deeply committed to providing Hmong language programs to serve students identity and to provide an additive model of bilingualism that promotes the students English language learning as well as mother tongue learning; Hmong parents are very worried about potential language loss of their children&rsquo;s Hmong language and they are actively looking for more Hmong language opportunities for their children; parents are very happy with Hmong language programs provided by district and want to see those programs expanded.</p><p>