Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 239-254).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 186-201). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

<p> There are only six virtual early college high schools in North Carolina. This exploratory case study examined one of these for the purpose of highlighting this unique school model. The study was guided by one research question: how do stakeholders experience a virtual early college high school? </p><p> Using Eisner&rsquo;s (2002) research design of educational criticism and connoisseurship, sub questions probed the stakeholders for their description, interpretation and evaluation of the virtual early college high school. Themes were drawn from the findings, and recommendations for further study are presented. </p><p> The data in this single case study were collected by way of interviews, focus groups, observations, and document analysis. The data were analyzed using a three-tiered coding system. The structural codes were assigned, then in vivo coding was completed. Finally, focused coding was used to support the development of the themes, the last of Eisner&rsquo;s dimensions. After the data were coded within stakeholder groups, the same three-level coding process took place across stakeholder groups. Analytical tools were also used throughout the study. </p><p> Generally, the findings suggest that while the experiences of the stakeholders within this virtual early college high school are beneficial to the students, families, and the broader community, there are nonetheless barriers to this particular school model. While minimal, and managed within this context, the barriers suggest there is still much to be learned about virtual early college high schools, and progress to be made in relationships between K-12 school districts and institutions of higher education.</p>

<p> Leadership development has been identified as a key college outcome (Komives, Dugan, Owen, Slack, &amp; Wagner, 2011). Emotional intelligence as a leadership development framework has shown promise in many applications (Petrides, 2011). Able to be augmented through purposeful training and practice, high levels of emotional intelligence have been linked to job performance, healthy relationships, and emotional well-being (Joseph, Jin, Newman, &amp; O&rsquo;Boyle, 2014). This study focused on changes in emotional intelligence as a metric for personal and professional development through a state university&rsquo;s leadership program. Students&rsquo; self-reported change in global and factor emotional intelligence were measured utilizing the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form (TEIQue-SF) as a research tool (Zampetakis, 2011). Additionally, students completed a survey consisting of open-ended questions designed to facilitate the evaluation of student perceptions in relation to emotional intelligence competencies after completing the leadership program. No statistical differences could be observed in pre-and post-participation TEIQue-SF results. Student perceptions after program completion revealed participation impacted their perceptions of and approach to emotional intelligence competencies as well as leadership. Overall, students expressed a level of personal awareness and the ability to nurture relationships and seek leadership roles.</p>

<p> In their seminal 1995 article, Barr and Tagg encouraged higher education to think differently about undergraduate education and suggested that a new paradigm be adopted that focused less on what is taught and more on what is learned. Dubbed the learner-centered paradigm, this reframing of education challenges long standing practices and removes the instructor as the literal and figurative center of the classroom, requiring that students take a more active role in their education and in the creation of knowledge. </p><p> Despite the fact that empirical research consistently finds that practices congruent with the learner-centered paradigm greatly benefits students, full-scale adoption of the paradigm has been slow across the higher education landscape. The SCALE-UP program that emerged out of North Carolina State University, however, has provided institutions with a model for how learner-centered teaching techniques can be leveraged in large enrollment courses and hundreds of institutions across the globe have successfully adopted this program. </p><p> In this multiple case study of two large, public institutions that have adopted SCALE-UP, this study provides insight into how faculty implementation of learner-centered teaching and learning practices is influenced by organizational structures and policies and how they can encourage and support faculty transition to a learner-centered practice. Findings suggest that these included policies and structures that involve: 1) institutional leadership; 2) finance and academic departmental influence and configurations; 3) faculty training and development programs; 4) physical facilities; and 5) incentives to learn, develop, and maintain new practices. </p><p> Extrapolated from the findings that emerged through this research are a number of implications and recommendations: Support and advocacy from institutional leadership is critical for the initiation and sustainment of paradigm change, academic departments can create learner-centered cultures that encourage and support learner-centered teaching practices, provide meaningful opportunities for faculty to become exposed to the learner-centered paradigm and create ongoing training and professional development to support related teaching and learning practices, invest in the creation of physical active-learning structures, create policies and structures that provide meaningful incentives for faculty to adopt learner-centered teaching practices, and strategically connect learner-centered practices and initiatives taking place across campus. </p>

<p> Some scholars have formed a more expansive view of knowledge that moves beyond the cognitive notion of intellect. For example, emotional intelligence (EI) theory posits that human intelligence encompasses both cognitive and emotional competencies, providing a framework for the concept of contemplative practices in an endeavor to support an eclectic understanding of cognition. Contemplative practices may benefit graduate student disposition and inform areas of educator preparation through the use of emotional adeptness in higher education. The purpose of this study was to: (a) develop a self-report measure: <i> Scale of Contemplative Practice in Higher Education</i> (SCOPE); (b) address the issues of validity and reliability related to the SCOPE; and (c) expand the understanding of contemplative practices in the literature. Data collected from an extensive review of the literature, reference to personal experiences, and consultation with an expert panel were used to generate scale items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the factor model. Analyses resulted in a 30-item factor model with strong reliabilities.</p>

This study examines the practice of educational developers as a professional, or sub-professional group working in UK higher education. It examines the historical moment and convergent pressures on the higher education system out of which educational development arose in the period from the mid 1960s until the present. (Chapter 1). From a perspective of 'agent context analysis' it considers the 'strategic terrain', in terms of the organisational cultures and structures of higher education, in which educational developers practise and against which they adapt their strategic stance (Chapter 3). The substantial centrepiece of this study is the development of a set of 12 analytic categories of practice or 'orientations' to educational development which were derived from a qualitative analysis of a series of 32 interviews undertaken in a broad range of institutions of higher education across the United Kingdom. These orientations were then mapped against prevailing organisational cultures, identification of stakeholder groups and particular bodies of procedural knowledge to create a model of educational development practice. (Chapter 4). This model is further expanded to map these orientations against the perceived notions of organisational change held by developers (Chapter 5), as involvement in change processes is a commonly agreed attribute of this professional group. The thesis contains a methodological chapter (Chapter 2) and further methodological perspectives in the Appendices. The study demonstrates the complexity and heterogeneity of educational development practice and the somewhat fractured nature of the professional group. It highlights the emerging prevalence of discipline-based educational development and recommends further educational development research 10 this area.

<p> Serving over two million students, the California Community College (CCC) system is a powerhouse in the nation for academics. Though many students attend and successfully complete this educational system, challenges for Black females are often overlooked for the mere fact that they complete at a slightly higher rate compared to their Black male counterparts. The purpose of this study is to explore how Black females within the CCC system make sense of their journey as they move towards graduation and/or transfer. To gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of Black women in the CCC, qualitative ethnographic interviews were conducted. The sample group included 15 Black female participants who are currently attending a community college in California. Four major themes emerged: support systems, educational awareness and expectations, self-awareness and foresightedness. These findings provide a new perspective that can assist in the promotion of programs, policies and resources specific to the needs of this population in order for them to be successful.</p>

<p> Many colleges and universities offer their commitment to partnering with local communities, and often do so with the goal of addressing societal needs. A growing field, such engagement between higher education institutions and community partners continues to evolve, including the purpose and rationale for this work, how engagement is accomplished, theoretical contexts, and how success is viewed by stakeholders. A qualitative case study was undertaken with the following questions at the fore: how does a self-described &ldquo;engaged&rdquo; university center function when viewed through the prism of an ethic of care? What are the characteristics of engagement efforts undertaken by staff, faculty and community partners associated with this center? What is a cultural description for the work associated with this center? The case studied was the Center for Community Research and Engagement (CCRE) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Data collection included a combination of participant-observation, document analysis, and open-ended interviews. Overall findings point toward many aspects of an ethic of care that can be understood to be prominent characteristics of CCRE, including the dynamic of relationships, longevity, and a focus on needs and attention paid. Further, acknowledgement of care is not one-directional, with undergraduate students, and by proxy the university, recipients of care. Findings suggest that relationships are the tough work, easily overlooked because they are difficult to quantify and capture in forms other than the perceived experience between people. The challenge of funding is also an ever-present reality, and contributions by university staff is a new and novel finding given the previous focus on faculty and students. A description of CCRE necessitates an understanding of context, core center efforts, and additional cultural dynamics that include a changing university. Findings from this research contribute to the theoretical development of engagement through the consideration of Care Theory, and also deepen understanding of community-university engagement by describing the complexity of human relationships.</p>

Kresge College is located on the innovative and interdisciplinary campus of the University of California at Santa Cruz. Kresge was begun in the early 1970's as an experiment in undergraduate education that was deeply influenced by humanistic psychology and encounter and sensitivity training groups. During the late 1970's, U. C. Santa Cruz was transformed into a mainstream liberal arts university, in which disciplinary boards of study became predominant. At the same time Kresge College was redefined as a humanities oriented liberal arts college, focused upon the modernist and post-modernist perspectives. This ethnographic study suggests that, in the late 1980's, students and faculty at Kresge College still maintained some remnants of the original founding ethos. The elements which have persisted include: a personal classroom interaction atmosphere open to intimacy between teachers and students; the use of a consensus decision making process by student organizations; an array of educational values focused upon the realization of human possibilities; and the display of awareness of the power of personal and social transformation, in the celebration of public ritual occasions.