This study explores faculty theories of service-learning as a teaching methodology in higher education. While there has been considerable increase in the understanding of how service-learning positively impacts students, there is a shortage of research on faculty experiences utilizing service-learning pedagogy. Because it is known that faculty involvement and commitment is essential to implementing groundbreaking forms of curricula and pedagogy, this research seeks to better understand faculty perspectives of campus community collaboration in service-learning partnerships. The study investigated faculty engaged in service-learning and used a multiple case study design involving descriptive qualitative methods rooted in faculty perspectives utilizing constant comparative analysis and coding in the tradition of grounded theory. Data consisted of interviews, course materials, and documents related to community placement protocol at one large Pacific-Northwest university. Findings across five research questions, which supported previous studies, established that faculty utilizing service-learning pedagogy are motivated by their adherence to values of social justice, individual awareness of positive student outcomes, and dedication to civic responsibility by meeting community defined needs through educational practices. Two new findings, which can augment the research literature, are (a) the perceived role that institutionally supported outreach to the community could play in restoring public trust, exhibiting genuine awareness of community need, and benefiting the overall credibility of the institutional mission and (b) the identification of faculty tacit theories of why community partners fade away during the student placement and perceived best practices for addressing the problem. Faculty’s identification of perceived barriers to implementing and sustaining service-learning pedagogy supported previous research and suggested a new finding that while excellence in pedagogical practices existed within the institution, lack of a centrally supported mechanism for collaboration may have thwarted growth of innovative and beneficial strategies. Research-to-practice suggestions include prospective policy implications for faculty who utilize service-learning in courses or would like to cultivate the professional potential to include a scholarship of engagement into their teaching strategies. Faculty theories of best practices and policy improvements for service-learning pedagogy delineated in the study have potential utility for entities who develop, initiate, organize, and support innovative campus community collaboration.

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The Boyer Commission report (1998) argued that normative educational approaches to higher education deprive undergraduates of opportunities for substantial intellectual engagement and rely too heavily on ‘knowledge transfer’ as the principal mode of teaching. In response, they advocated for the use of inquiry-based methods to foster intellectual stimulation and excitement for learning and discovery, and remove barriers to interdisciplinarity (1998). A central challenge in the development of interdisciplinary educational enterprises, such as the adoption of an inquiry-based approach, is the cultivation of a shared vision across disciplines with different norms of discourse, epistemology, and pedagogy (Mahony, 2003). Using semi-structured interviews and qualitative thematic analysis, we examined how inquiry-based pedagogy is understood by faculty members from established undergraduate programs at McMaster University as well as those involved in the development of a new interdisciplinary program employing inquiry-based approaches. The key questions addressed in this study are: How do faculty members from different disciplines understand inquiry-based pedagogy, and what factors are associated with long-term sustainability of inquiry-based curricula in higher education? Four key themes were identified in this analysis including 1) guiding tenets of inquiry-based learning, 2) inquiry environment, 3) inquiry as a programmatic ethos, and 4) inquiry as subversion/resistance. From this analysis, this research was able to articulate instructors’ understanding of inquiry-based pedagogy, discussing common themes and challenges, highlighting the connections to critical pedagogy, and identifying factors such as curricular design, collaboration among staff and support from administration that have contributed to the sustainability of this approach at McMaster University / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

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Research shows that use of high fidelity simulation (HFS) as a teaching strategy requires extensive amounts of faculty time and financial resources for faculty development and equipment. This project study addressed the challenges encountered in the integration of HFS into a Midwestern metropolitan baccalaureate nursing program. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perceptions of nursing faculty about best practice elements for successful integration of HFS into undergraduate nursing programs. Guiding questions were developed using Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model and focused on faculty perceptions related to successful implementation of simulation in their programs. Purposeful sampling was used to select 22 faculty who had integrated HFS into 5 regional baccalaureate nursing programs in metropolitan areas of 2 Midwestern states. Nine participants completed an online interview tool developed by the researcher and designed to elicit responses to open-ended questions about barriers encountered, methods used to overcome those barriers, first impressions about conducting HFS, perceptions of successful integration, and incentives to using HFS. Data were coded and analyzed to identify themes. Emergent themes included the need to identify specific courses for HFS, ensure participation of faculty teaching didactic courses, use nationally recognized principles for HFS implementation, implement consistent methods of debriefing, and use formal written plans. Findings from the study were used to design a staff development initiative to facilitate planning and establishment of HFS in a nursing curriculum. Positive social change may occur when faculty and administrators use project guidelines to develop sound practices for integrating HFS into the nursing curriculum.

The call to better prepare nurses in safety and quality performance resulted from the concern of the Institute of Medicine regarding egregious gaps and errors in U.S. hospitals that resulted in serious injuries and patient deaths. Quality and safety education for nursing (QSEN) competencies were set forth in 2005 to enhance nursing curricula and nursing students' preparation for practice; however, QSEN's integration and implementation have been gradual and inconsistent. This qualitative interpretive study was guided by Senge's principles of the learning organization and Benner's professional development model. Using face-to-face interviews, the perspectives of 9 full-time nursing faculty members at 2 private nursing colleges in the Northeast United States were obtained about QSEN integration into their curriculum. Data analysis employed the use of open in vivo coding, categorizing, and the formation of themes. The results indicated that QSEN integration was perceived as complex and daunting due to faculty's limited knowledge about QSEN, lack of adequate preparation to develop and employ instructional strategies, lack of adequate time to teach, and limited learning opportunities at clinical sites to develop competencies such as teamwork and collaboration and informatics. Meaningful reform in nursing education may occur as leaders engage faculty members in meaningful dialogue to better understand the complexity and challenges of QSEN integration, including faculty members' needs for successful implementation. Nursing students may then be better trained to understand the nature and consequences of human and system errors and appreciate higher standards of care that will result in a decrease in preventable injuries, medication errors, and patient deaths.