A correlational quantitative research project was conducted at a large public research institution in the Southeast to investigate the relationship between ethical regard and academic dishonesty among undergraduate college students. An online survey was completed by 273 undergraduates. Participant engagement in cheating behaviors established a Propensity To Cheat (PTC) score, which was then analyzed in conjunction with student characteristics, ethical self-perception, ethical ideology, and perception of cheating behaviors. Data were analyzed using ANOVAs, independent t tests, correlations, and descriptive statistics. Findings indicate that students aged 22-23 were significantly more likely to cheat than students in other age ranges; Millennials were significantly more likely to cheat than non-Millennials. No significant difference existed between PTC compared by gender or academic classification. When given a response set of 11 behaviors commonly defined as academic misconduct, the majority of students indicated agreement that the identified behavior is a cheating behavior. The behavior most commonly perceived as cheating was copying from a classmate’s exam or permitting copying by a classmate (99.3% agreement). The behavior least likely to be perceived as cheating was seeking exam content from a peer who had taken the exam (55.7% agreement); students cited this cheating behavior as the most commonly committed (46.5%). A correlational analysis was conducted for each of the 11 cheating behaviors; results indicate that in 8 of the 11 behaviors, students were less likely to engage in the specific behavior if they perceived the behavior as cheating. Overall, 77.3% of respondents reported cheating, and 30.8% reported 4 or more cheating behaviors. The study is significant because few researchers have evaluated academic misconduct through the lens of ethical ideology. Therefore, this study contributes to the existing literature related to academic integrity among college students by employing ethical ideology as a conceptual framework to examine cheating behaviors and prevalence. In the analyses students who exhibit absolutist ideologies are significantly less likely to cheat than students with subjectivist ideologies. Furthermore, higher ethical self-perception scores significantly correlate to a lower PTC.

Career services professionals are increasingly involved in decisions regarding the use of technology to perform their jobs. The millennial generation, increasingly enrolling in distance education, is characterized as being comfortable with technology, expecting efficient services, and valuing convenience. Understanding the technology-related preferences of today's students is fundamental for those planning and developing student career services. Brown and Ryan Krane (2000) identified five critical interventions important to career decision-making: (a) Written Exercises, (b) Individualized Interpretations and Feedback, (c) Information on the World of Work, (d) Modeling, and (e) Attention to Building Support. This study investigated the following questions: (1) what are first-year students' preferences for the delivery method of critical career choice interventions and (2) to what extent are there differences in first-year students' preferences for delivery method based on their prior experience. Specific areas of prior experience included online courses, career counseling, and technology.Participants included 318 undergraduate students enrolled in a two-credit first-year student seminar. A web-based survey was distributed to students via their instructors. Students selected e-mail most frequently as a preferred delivery method for career choice activities followed by in person delivery. Students were most interested in participating in activities related to Modeling and Information on the World of Work. They were least interested in participating in activities related to Attention to Building Support.Overall, participants reported a high level of previous experience with e-mail, Internet text chat, and Internet websites. Participants reported low levels of experience with discussion boards, podcasts, and virtual rooms. Participants also reported low levels of previous experience with online courses and career counseling.While no significant differences in preferences for delivery were found based on previous experience, a comparison of students' experiences and preferences did provide interesting information. E-mail is the only technology with which there were high levels of experience and preference. Students also reported high level of experience with text chat, but a low level of preference for text chat as a delivery mode for career choice activities.

Nurse educators are challenged with a new generation of students referred to as the Millennial generation. These millennial students, who have different learning style preferences, are testing the traditional pedagogical methods of nurse educators such as lecture. The social nature of millennial students coincides with the social constructivism theory that students learn in groups. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine if there was an improved retention of knowledge in millennial students who were taught by collaborative learning strategies rather than the traditional lecture method in an associate degree nursing program. Additionally, the study examined if learning by the students' preferred learning style resulted in a higher level of achievement on a comprehensive standardized examination versus learning by a nonpreferred style. The theoretical framework for this study was founded on the social constructivism theory suggesting students build knowledge through social group interactions. The quasi-experimental study was conducted at an associate degree program in the Midwest. The nonprobability purposive sampling was utilized to examine the means of a comprehensive standardized examination and a learning styles preference assessment. The statistical analysis utilizing the analysis of covariance did not produce statistically significant findings in the differences in the comprehensive standardized examination score means between the students taught by the lecture method and students taught by the collaborative method when controlled for the cumulative grade point average. Additionally, the study did not find statistically significant differences in mean comprehensive standardized examination scores when taught by the students' preferred learning style versus being taught by their nonpreferred style. Although not significant, the study did find students who were taught by the collaborative method had higher scores than those who were taught by the lecture method. In addition, learning styles preferences were not significant in determining academic success. The implications of the study are significant to nursing education by highlighting the importance of using collaborative activities and multiple teaching modalities.

This phenomenological study addressed the transitions of biology and chemistry adjunct faculty, with full or part-time positions outside of academia, as they navigate the transition between their workplaces and the academic environment and also transition toward becoming confident and competent educators. Using the final two stages of Schoening's (2013) Nurse Educator Transition (NET) Model as a framework, this qualitative study examines the transitions of nine biology and chemistry adjuncts at College Alpha, which is a community college located in a southern state. Study findings indicated both degrees of transition, the day-to-day and the overall transition into teaching, impact the overall adjunct experience. The College's involvement with the adjunct and the generational differences between the adjuncts and their students also play a role in the transitions. The literature review addressed the use of the NET Model as a means of examining transitions toward teaching, the roles of adjunct faculty on college campuses, the workplace transition, and the particular needs of Millennial students are also addressed. The study culminated with conclusions about the experiences of the participants, recommendations for future research, and calls for action by community colleges to improve the adjunct experience. A chapter is also included that reflects upon the dissertation writing experience and the challenges of qualitative research not addressed in graduate programs.

Seminarians’ existential crises of faith are often-experienced but little-studied. Through surveys of Millennial MDiv students (n=30) and seminary Student Affairs and Student Services Professionals (SASSPs) (n=44), this study suggests crises of faith are fundamental to MDiv students’ spiritual formation, mirroring the pattern of Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory model (TLT). TLT also undergirds secular Student Affairs, where SASSPs regularly provide co-curricular “student learning” support. This study recommends training seminary SASSPs to be similarly-utilized within theological education, which would require resources for professional development from both their institutions and the Association of Theological Schools. Implications for multi-cultural theological education are also discussed.

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