<p> This qualitative study was designed to evaluate the impact internationalization initiatives in U.S. institutions of higher education have had on a school of music. The critical approach of intercultural communication served as the conceptual framework to guide understanding of internationalization initiatives or efforts within higher education institutions toward preparing students, in particular music graduates, for the global society (Issa, 2015). Data collected from questionnaires and interviews with various stakeholders, organizational documents and the institution&rsquo;s website provided a more thorough understanding of the approach to, and challenges and benefits of internationalization initiatives in a school of music. This data was coded for consistencies and emerging themes in terms of approaches to, challenges, and benefits.</p><p> The results of this study could create social change for society and communities in better understanding the impact of internationalization initiatives implemented within higher education music departments toward enhancing the artistic and intellectual abilities and contributions of individuals, institutions, and the field of music as a whole. Findings from this study will also inform practices of administrators of music departments within higher education toward attracting and preparing international students as well as preparing current domestic students for a globalized society.</p><p>

<p> The ability to think critically and complexly amid novel experiences that require self- and other-awareness is something that leaders in an array of social institutions seek to develop in their communities. Global and Diversity Learning (GDL) practices, one category of high impact practices (Kuh, 2008), aim to increase students&rsquo; awareness of self and others and imbue critical thinking skills that will help students see how their own background and experiences interact with those of peers. This study aims to understand the relationship of four GDL practices (education abroad, multicultural programming, intercultural living-learning communities, and global studies coursework) to desired learning outcomes. Through completing ANCOVAs and multiple regression analyses on an existing dataset of GDL participants, this study demonstrates the influence of gender, socio-economic status, and citizenship within GDL practice types. The study findings also reveal significant differences between group members&rsquo; other awareness and critical thinking capacity. Understanding how different GDL practice types affect capacity development will allow university leadership to direct collaboration between departments and align programming, to allocate resources more effectively, and communicate potential outcomes based on empirical data.</p><p>

<p> The State of Vermont has long had one of the highest high school graduation rates in New England, hovering around 87.8% with a lagging college enrollment rate of 52.3% at any 2- or 4-year postsecondary institution in the country (New England Secondary School Consortium, 2015). This research explored the factors that have the greatest effect on the college enrollment patterns of Vermont high school graduates. Specifically, this study explored the relationship between the following factors and 2- and 4-year college enrollment: (a) academic preparation, (b) access to college information, (c) early career exploration and education planning, (d) gender, (e) grade point average, (f) parent educational attainment, (g) parental expectations, (h) student location, and (i) student perception of affordability. </p><p> This descriptive, correlational quantitative study used binomial logistic regression to determine which of the factors listed in the preceding section had the greatest impact on the college enrollment patterns of Vermont high school graduates. The dataset for this research was the Class of 2014 Senior Survey from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, administered to all students graduating from Vermont high schools in 2014. This research looks to inform work currently being done at the state level to raise the number of adults living in Vermont with a postsecondary credential to 70% by the year 2025</p><p>

<p> Degree completion has been a topic of debate in higher education institutions. Although efforts have been made to raise the rate of completion, the number of students completing college remains low. Low rates may lead to wasted time and money as students often take unnecessary coursework as a result of not having a well-developed plan for completion. To combat this problem, programs have been implemented at community colleges that are designed to meet student needs, develop tailored educational plans, and help students set goals. One such program is the Central Valley Promise (CVP) program, which offers a solution that could meet the specific needs students of the Central Valley of California. Upon meeting the entrance requirements, students are eligible to receive free tuition for one semester and the promise of support to completion for all students. Because CVP has the potential to affect many incoming students, it was important to examine whether it is achieving its goal. This study sought to gain understanding of student transition and career readiness. A survey was given to 402 CVP students during their first semester of college. A comparison group of 112 students also received the survey. All participants were incoming community college freshmen. Also, observations were conducted during three CVP events. Findings included an increased satisfaction and confidence level in academic performance, social life, and choosing a college major among CVP students. Recommendations include continued support for students, adding a mentorship component, and hiring faculty to exclusively work with CVP students. </p><p>

<p> The traditional face-to-face classroom is slowly losing its place in education as online learning becomes increasingly popular. With the growth of online learning, it falls to educators, administrators, and researchers to ensure students enrolled in online courses are being given an education equal to students enrolled in face-to-face courses. Beyond ensuring the students in online courses perform the same as their peers in traditional courses, students across all delivery systems need to be engaged. In this study, the effectiveness and perceived engagement of students between online and face-to-face courses were examined comparing outcomes, attendance, and withdrawal rates; and perceptions of engagement from the view of students and faculty. From the results, there was no significant difference in outcomes between online and face-to-face courses. There was a difference in withdrawal and attendance rates between online and face-to-face courses, and students indicated adequate engagement in online courses, but still showed a preference for face-to-face courses when available. Faculty members felt better able to engage with students in face-to-face courses, and some tools (discussion boards and social media) did not aid in meaningful engagement. Online learning cannot be considered a trend, and students in online course perform at least as well as students in face-to-face courses. As students become increasingly more comfortable with online learning, it is incumbent upon educators to find a path to meaningful online student engagement.</p><p>

The 2015 revisions to the Ontario teacher education program were intended to give greater attention to diversity in the Ontario classroom and provide new teachers with more knowledge of the Ontario context. Using an interpretivist methodology, a careful examination of the curriculum changes undertaken by the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ontario College of Teachers indicates that these objectives have not been met. Despite being an integral part of the identity and experience of a large number of Ontario teachers and students, religion is not one of the diversities given attention to in the revisions. This omission has revealed a gap in the Ontario teacher education curriculum in which the religious diversity component of the Ontario context is largely ignored. The gap in teacher education has also created a misunderstanding of the nature and intent of the secular classroom where, instead of being a place where all religions are given equal attention and one that fostering healthy religious conversations, it has become an environment of fear and silence, where teacher and students are unsure of how to engage it religious conversations. My research concludes that the OCT curriculum does not provide sufficient curriculum content that addresses teacher knowledge, skills and attitudes in the area of religion, nor does it provide information about religious belief systems and world views or clarify religious language and terminology. Despite the fact that teachers and parents welcome the academic, non-confessional study of religion in the classroom, the OCT and the OME have not indicated through the revisions that this is the direction in which they intend to proceed. Enacting changes to increase the amount of time required for teacher education has not prepared teachers to address the multi-religious context of the Ontario classroom or to meet the needs of religious students.

<p> This qualitative study explores the mentorship experiences of eight first-generation Latina women in private 4-year universities in southern California. The study is guided by bell hooks&rsquo; Theory of Love, and also draws on concepts such as, Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit), Chicana Feminist Theory (CFT), <i> mujersita</i> mentoring, and <i>mestiza consciousness</i>. Using testimonios, this study centers the experiences of participants, and focuses on their perspectives as first- generation Latina undergraduate students. Overall this research contributes to the literature on mentorship, particularly as it pertains to Latinas in higher education, and offers implications and recommendations regarding how to better support this student population.</p><p>

The current research investigates the professional and administrative expansion taking place in universities over the last twenty years, characterised by the emergence of new roles and functions in areas such as: planning, marketing, student services, student placement, quality control, and external relations. Understanding the forces underlying this change is essential in building a reliable picture of the current state and likely direction of the university as an institution. I engage with the two arguments conceptualizing administrative and professional growth in universities: functionalist (emphasising the role of structural pressures e.g. student numbers) and neo-institutionalist (drawing attention to the cultural forces that shape universities as formal organisations). The first chapter provides a cross-national assessment of the relative significance of functionalist and cultural (neo-institutionalist) explanations in accounting for variation in the levels of administrative and professional staff in 761 universities from 11 European countries. The second chapter provides a national level empirical illustration of how cultural forces such as the diffusion of formal organisation make UK universities’ more prone to expand their professional infrastructure in catering to demographic inclusion. The third chapter extends the national level inquiry with an investigation into whether UK universities’ engagement with professional staff enhances university performance, in line with functionalist expectations. The findings show that the impact of structural needs on the expansion of professional and administrative staff is overestimated, as well as the role that professional staff plays in universities’ performance. The growth in administrative and professional staff is by large a by-product of universities formalising themselves as organisations. In this sense, universities’ engagement with new layers of professional expertise is a purveyor of legitimacy for institutions articulating themselves as highly integrated, strategic, and goal-driven entities.

Background and objectives: This study set out to explore identities among university students from forced migrant backgrounds. Issues related to identity have been found to contribute to the specific and significant challenges this student group can face in higher education. The research question was: how do students from forced migrant backgrounds understand their identities. Focusing on identities, through a dialogical narrative lens, offered a route into investigating the subjective and intersubjective experiences of forced migrant-background students, as well as processes of change associated with being at university, and how wider discourses may impact upon them. Methodology: Three participants from forced migrant backgrounds who had recently completed university studies were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were employed to generate data. Interviews incorporated the use of an artefact: participants were invited to bring an object which represented something about their identities. Data were analysed using dialogical narrative analysis. This involved focusing on aspects of positioning, the use of small stories, and multivoicedness, in the interview encounters. Attention was given both to what participants said about their identities, and the ways in which they constructed these identities. Analysis: Analysis of participants' narratives is presented individually and structured according to interrelated themes, each conveying some aspect of their identities. Themes include 'activist and ambassador', and 'not representing what is expected'. Commonalities identified in ways of expressing, understanding and adapting identities across the narratives are also presented, in the form of five elements which fit together to form a narrative synthesis. The elements are: education as important for identity; being different; identity transformation, as part of being a university student; using new power and identities to react against injustices; and, facilitating this, identity choice and agency. Reflexive considerations, fundamental to the dialogical narrative research approach, are discussed. Discussion and conclusions: A key contribution to knowledge is that despite facing adversity, forced migrant-background students make use of their identity transformations - attributed in part to their university participation - to respond proactively to societal forces which may discriminate against them and others. Methodologically, both dialogical narrative analysis and the use of artefacts are found to contribute to investigating issues of identity. Indications for counselling psychologists include the importance of promoting awareness among practitioners of the complex issues forced migrant students often face. For higher education institutions as well as counselling psychologists, the importance of providing adequate support for these students is emphasised. It is highlighted that research into forced migration issues fits with counselling psychology's commitment to social justice, in terms of supporting groups at risk of marginalisation. It also aligns with calls within the discipline for increased attention to issues regarding race, culture and ethnicity, which intersect with forced migration. The wide-ranging potential benefits of supporting students from forced migrant backgrounds towards educational success are outlined.

This thesis reports on a study which investigated the application of social media in teaching Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) in a University of Brunei. The aim was to complement the on-campus delivery of this module, encourage student engagement and produce more active than passive learners. However, tensions existed between social media and the content of the course because of the potential of social media to drown and influence Bruneian Malay cultures and Islamic beliefs in a way that is not consistent with MIB. A questionnaire to 362 undergraduate students at the University of Brunei Darussalam taking the PB1501 MIB module in the semester 1 2012/2013 provided an initial sense of social media use and expectations. Six MIB teachers were also selected to represent different perspective of using social media in MIB module. Furthermore, the observation of ten MIB Facebook groups spaces and content analysis of ten MIB Facebook groups' transcripts produced information on teaching and learning activities as well as findings as to how teachers facilitate student engagement. The findings of the study indicate that whilst social media is a tool that should be able to solve the pedagogical problems in the MIB course, at the same time cultural obstacles are perceived by some teachers in this particular setting, impacting on its acceptance. Findings suggest that the implementation of social media such as Facebook in order to solve a pedagogical problem have raised tensions in this specific cultural environment. The research also shows the MIB teachers have mixed feelings about the fact that social media could complement MIB education. A way of conceiving the tensions between these issues is provided by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework developed by Koehler and Mishra (2009), which is used to understand teacher decisions with respect to MIB, MIB pedagogy and social media (TPACK). This shows the connections and interactions between the content of MIB, the MIB pedagogy and social media.