The purpose of this study was to determine a student‟s computer knowledge upon course entry and if there was a difference in college students‟ improvement scores as measured by the difference in pretest and posttest scores of new or novice users, moderate users, and expert users at the end of a college-level introductory computing class. This study also determined whether there were differences in improvement scores by gender or age group. The results of this study were used to determine whether there was a difference in improvement scores among the 3 campus locations participating in this study. Four hundred sixty-nine students participated in this study at a community college located in Northeast Tennessee. A survey, pretest, and posttest were administered to students in a collegelevel introductory computing class. The survey consisted of demographic data that included gender, age category, location, Internet access, educational experience, and the self-rated user category, while the pretest and posttest explored the student‟s knowledge of computer terminology, hardware, the current operating system, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. The data analysis revealed significant differences in pretest scores between educational experience categories. In each instance, the pretest mean for first semester freshmen students was lower than second semester freshmen and sophomores. The study also reported significant differences between the self-rated user categories and pretest scores as well as differences in improvement scores (posttest scores minus pretest scores), which were higher for new or novice users. Of the 3 participating campus locations, students at Location 1 earned higher improvement scores than did students at Location 2. The results also indicated that there was a significant difference between the types of course delivery and course improvement scores (posttest scores minus pretest scores). The improvement scores for on ground delivery was 5 points higher than the hybrid course delivery. Finally, the gender and age categories as compared to the self-rated user categories revealed no significant differences in the study.

The purpose of this autoethnography was to examine my personal experiences with workplace bullying through the lens of existing research and theory and original inquiry into how other faculty members characterize workplace bullying, their related experiences, and the behaviors and tactics involved. The study involved 2 phases. Phase I employed the use of 2 dyadic interviews garnering an additional tier of qualitative information where descriptors of additional analytical memos emerged, such as the regional and organizational cultural dynamics involved in workplace bullying. Phase II used my own personal experiences with bullying in higher education. Four indepth vignettes were provided chronologically: graduate student-experience, entry-career, midcareer, and doctoral dissertation research. Each vignette was analyzed using constant comparative method between the literature and interviews to confirm and disconfirm my own experience with bullying in higher education. Several themes emerged from this research: (1) The nature of my personal workplace bullying experiences highlighted themes involving: bullying behaviors (both victim and bully), position and power (both victim and bully), organizational structure and cultural constructs, and the impact on the victim. The commonalities between my experiences, the literature, and the bullying experiences of other faculty who provided information in this study were: (1) Organizational culture works to support and protect workplace bullies; (2) Organizations with multi-layered hierarchies support workplace bullying behaviors; (3) Workplace bullying results in reports of significant psychological impact (e.g., feelings of anxiety, embarrassment, humiliation, fear, etc.); (4) Workplace bullying involves overt attacks (e.g., intimidation, recruitment of others, threats, etc.); (5) The context of regional culture may influence workplace bullying (i.e. perceptions, tactics, reactions, etc.); and (6) Power (i.e. positional, legitimate, coercive, reward, referent) is a central element in bullying behaviors.

As more college courses transition to hybrid and fully online models due to Covid-19, the classroom environment for higher education has changed and will continue to do so (Bonk, 2020). As online learning continues to grow, a challenge of not connecting with the instructor can be a concern. Success in the online classroom is possible for students who may feel they are alone in online learning (Holbeck & Hartman, 2018). With the right combination of engagement tools, student interaction with the curriculum, class, and professor result in a meaningful learning experience (Holbeck & Hartman, 2018). The history of online education, the challenges of teaching and learning in an online course as it relates to pass rates, and the tools used for engagement in online learning that result in success in an online math course will be discussed. The primary goal of this study is to compare the success rates of students that are taking online math courses in which professors use engagement tools with those that are in courses where engagement tools are not used. Another goal of the study is to track the amount of time that students spend in the course when engagement tools are used as opposed to when engagement tools are not used.

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that lead female undergraduate students to pursue an academic major in engineering and to persist in their engineering studies. This research focuses on women who are currently studying in the fields of engineering in an effort to determine whether or not common themes emerge that impacted their decision to major in these academic programs. Specifically, this study aims to better understand what factors exist that influence women to study engineering. Despite the fact that research has been conducted in this area, the findings from these studies do not appear to have had an impact on the number of women who choose to major in engineering upon entering college, as this number has not been increasing. The goal of this study is to provide for the following: Policy makers, high school guidance counselors, and the colleges and universities involved in this study can be better informed and benefit from knowing what factors influence women to major and persist in the field of engineering at their respective institutions.

This is a phenomenological exploration of academic librarians collaboratively publishing with subject faculty. The explorative study investigates academic librarians and subject faculty who conduct research outside of librarianship. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry is an exploration of barriers subject faculty members and academic librarians encounter when conducting collaborative research. The study was performed because of an identifiable research gap and a paucity of qualitative studies related to librarian and faculty research partnerships. Much of the existing scholarship focuses on quantitative data exploring librarians' publishing outcomes. Data collection was performed by interviewing five academic librarians and five subject faculty pairs. The study is unique in using liminality as a theoretical framework to explore collaboration between librarians and subject faculty partners. The study explores librarians who partner with subject faculty. For this reason, the study is useful and important in understanding the phenomenon of collaboration. The research could clarify and support the larger research mission at universities and colleges and improve research outcomes between interdisciplinary collaborative partners.

The focus of this research was to understand the lived experiences and working perceptions of Florida HBCU first-year seminar professionals. Much empirical work has been done to examine the experiences of students transitioning into the college environment. In contrast, there is little work that specifically looks at the professionals that service first-year students within a minority serving context, specifically Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As a result, the findings of this study suggest that Florida HBCU first-year seminar professionals are active partners in the scholastic success of its freshman students.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the sense of belonging of state college transfer students who enroll at a large research-intensive university through structured and unstructured transfer pathways using the Sense of Belonging Instrument (SBI; Hoffman, Richmond, Morrow, & Solomon, 2002). The SBI includes five subscales (Peer Support, Faculty Support, Classroom Comfort, Isolation, and Empathetic Faculty Understanding). To date, no systematic investigation has considered the construct of belonging with this population or transfer pathway. The findings from this study (n = 54) found a positive statistically significant correlation between Peer Support and Isolation (r(52) =.801, p = .000) and a statistically significant difference between the mean values of Empathetic Faculty Understanding between the structured and unstructured pathways (p = 0.027). This study showed that structured transfer pathway student sense of belonging was grounded in the classroom experience, empathetic faculty, and faculty support. Unstructured transfer pathway student sense of belonging was grounded in peer relationships, the classroom experience, and empathetic faculty. First generation participants were more likely to perceive isolation than non-first generation participants and structured pathway participants were more likely to perceive faculty empathetic understanding than unstructured pathway participants. There were also differences in the qualitative data between the pathway groups, including differing perceptions of faculty care and empathy, peer engagement, and the role of Advisors and online support systems in the transfer experience. The data and findings presented in this study show that the academic experience in the classroom and the perception of empathetic faculty are central to state college transfer student experience and contributes to transfer student sense of belonging.

As students continue to pursue higher education, the potential for them to experience mental health issues will exist (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2011; Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2012; Gruttadaro & Crudo, 2012; Salzer, 2012; Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2013). When entering a new environment, students will look to make connections with the institution; one of these connections can be with an academic advisor (Harper & Peterson, 2005; Harper & Wilson, 2010; Kuh, 2011; Pearson, 2012). It is important for individuals experiencing mental health issues to make connections to the institution so that they are more likely to remain and feel a sense of connection (Kadison & DiGeronimo, 2004). This dissertation outlines a quantitative study to examine the attitudes of academic advisors towards mental health. Using the Relational-Cultural Theory (Miller 1986; Jordan, 2000) as a framework, this study sought to determine attitudes of academic advisors and how this may affect their relationship with students. Results from 133 participants revealed that attitudes toward mental health issues do not impact the building of a mutual relationship between student and academic advisors from the academic advisors' perspective. However, characteristics such as age and personal experience with mental health issues impacted this type of relationship between the academic advisor and student.

For decades, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) + students attending institutions of higher education have been marginalized and have experienced hostility and outright discrimination, causing the need for student support groups for this population on college campuses. Recent laws passed at a national level have brought a greater level of equality to this minority group; however, feelings of marginalization, homophobia, heterosexism, and heteronormative culture persist. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to ask how students participating in an LGBT + support group within a Central Florida public state college perceive their experiences in college. The researcher also asked students participating in an LGBT + support group within a Central Florida public state college what issues or challenges have most significantly impacted them. This qualitative study focused on an LGBT + student support group at a public state college in the Central Florida area. The researcher conducted ethnographic interviews with seven student participants and selected these students through a volunteer sample. A focus group with four of the seven participants was also conducted. Data were collected through recording of the interviews and focus group, observations and other documents. The researcher sought permission from the participants to record the interviews, ensured them access to the written and auditory transcript of their own specific interview, as well as guaranteed that the recordings would be destroyed after the conclusion of the dissertation and publication.

Self-advocacy for students with disabilities was noted throughout the literature as a necessary element for student success (Brinckerhoff, 1996; Daly-Cano, Vaccaro, & Newman, 2015; Gould, 1986; Williams & Shoultz, 1982). The literature also found that self-advocacy was particular crucial as students entered higher education (English, 1997; Stodden, Conway, and Chang, 2003; Vaccaro, Daly-Cano & Newman, 2015). In regard to student persistence, academic advising was the most cited student service (Hossler & Bean, 1990). Academic advisors assist students through their academic journeys and are tasked with assisting students to navigate college life (Kuh, 2008). However, there was a lack of research regarding the relationship between advisors, students with disabilities, and self-advocacy. Therefore, this research study was conducted to explore the insights and support of self-advocacy among academic advisors when working with students with disabilities. A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to explore these experiences. From the data analysis, seven themes emerged after the interviews and a focus group, which represented the needs of academic advisors for their specific roles and interactions. The themes were lack of knowledge, accommodations, transition, academics, fear of being labeled, relationships and interactions, and self-awareness. The information gathered through this study may lead to professional development programs to improve relationships between academic advisors and students with disabilities and to prepare students with disabilities to become strong self-advocates.