<p> According to a report published in 2015, the National Center for Education estimated that over 20 million students were forecasted to enroll in higher education in the 2016&ndash;17 school year, situating American universities as major institutional food retailers. Over the past two decades, corporate food providers have increasingly sought long-term public and private university contracts as a means to expand their reach into lucrative campus food landscapes (foodscapes), replacing in-house services with cheaper, more &ldquo;efficient, and &ldquo;productive&rdquo; dining strategies. Companies such as Sodexo, Aramark, and Bon Appetit control the foodscapes of many university campuses across the United States, creating food environments dominated by corporate interests. </p><p> However, at the same time these corporate food service providers have colonized university food terrains, a growing movement of consumers concerned with ethical food sourcing have driven students across the United States to seek alternatives to dominant food sourcing strategies on their campuses. In a context of increased corporate control over their university foodscapes, student across the US have launched campaigns aiming to develop and establish student food cooperatives (SFCs), organizations seeking to assert the availability of sustainable, ethical, and healthy food options on campus in addition to pushing for more student decision-making power within their university food environments (Marsden, 2000). </p><p> It is within this context that my thesis aims to explore if and how student food cooperatives are creating new spaces for food sovereignty and if they are democratizing the control over their university food systems through campus based food initiatives.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation was an explanatory sequential mixed methods study that sought to understand academic librarians&rsquo; involvement and experience in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Specifically, the researcher studied academic librarians&rsquo; teacher identity development through SoTL. Quantitative data were collected from a survey sent to the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy listserv. Semi-structured interviews with seven academic instruction librarians who took part in the survey provided qualitative data that complemented and built upon the survey results. The theoretical framework, Communities of Practice, guided and supported the research. Results from the study indicated that academic instruction librarians are involved in SoTL for a variety of reasons, but primarily because they believe participation in SoTL improves their teaching. Also, the null hypothesis of <i>if librarians engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, their identities will be the same as they were before</i> was rejected, and the research hypothesis was accepted. Engagement in SoTL does impact academic instruction librarians&rsquo; teacher identity. After involvement in SoTL most research participants reported that their view of themselves as a teacher grew. Participation in SoTL also impacted academic instruction librarians&rsquo; instructional practices. After participation in SoTL, study participants reported an increase in their attitude toward self-improvement and in their use of active learning strategies. These study findings have implications for Library and Information Science (LIS) graduate schools, academic library administrations, and professional development organizations. </p><p>

Orientador: Laurizete Ferragut Passos / Banca: Miriam Godoy Penteado / Banca: Saddo Ag Almouloud / Resumo: A presente investigação tem como objetivo buscar compreensões sobre as visões dos professores formadores da Licenciatura em Matemática a respeito da articulação da construção dos próprios saberes docentes com a atividade docente. A delimitação do campo de pesquisa deu-se após a realização de uma coleta de dados a partir de um questionário semi-estruturado dirigido a 12 (doze) professores, que ministram alguma disciplina ligada a Matemática. O trabalho insere-se em uma perspectiva qualitativa de investigação, buscando uma compreensão dos fenômenos estudados. Foram consultados documentos da Universidade, a legislação vigente e entrevistas. Buscou-se a utilização das teorias apresentadas pelos autores Tardif et al (1991), Shulman (1986) e Saviani (1996) sobre a tipologia dos saberes docentes. A análise indica que os formadores percebem a existência de tais saberes/conhecimentos, mas não o identificam claramente, além disso, com a atualização constante em conhecimentos ligados a Matemática, para o exercício da docência, percebem a necessidade dos conhecimentos disciplinares e não a existência de outros saberes/conhecimentos ligados à formação do futuro Professor de Matemática. É preciso concatenar as idéias dos atores envolvidos na formação assim como os objetivos que a Licenciatura deve atingir. / Abstract: The aim of this work is to search for understanding the views of instructors in charge of the formation of prospective Mathematics teachers in graduate schools as far as the combination of teaching skills and the teaching activity itself is concerned. Fixing the boundaries of the research field was set after data collection based upon a semi-structured questionnaire answered by (12) twelve teachers who teach any subject related to Mathematics. The work fits into a qualitative perspective of investigation, seeking for understanding the phenomena studied. The University documents, the present legislation and interviews have been the sources of information. The theories of Tardif et al (1991), Shulman (1986) and Saviani (1996) about the tipology of teaching skills have been taking into consideration for the work to be based on. The analysis indicates that the instructors in charge of preparing future teachers, in spite of being aware of such skills and competence are unable to identify them clearly and besides that, make constant use only of the knowledge related specifically to Mathematics while teaching, thus accomplishing only the use of their competence in Mathematics ignoring the other skills and the knowledge connected to the formation of prospective Mathematics teachers that should be taken into consideration. It has been made necessary that not only the concepts of the instructors and all the staff directly involved in the process of formation, but also the objectives that the graduation is supposed to achieve, to be converged so as to provide the future Mathematics teachers with a holistic formation. / Mestre

<p> Notable scholars including Astin, Pascarelli, Terenzini and others have pioneered studies in psychosocial issues including self-concepts related to college students&rsquo; experience and achievement factors (Astin, 1984, 1991; Pascarella &amp; Terenzini, 2005; Terenzini, Pascarella, &amp; Blimling, 1996). In recent years, there has been an increase in national attention on the identification of those factors that promote educational success and related outcomes specifically for African American college students (Cokley, 2000, 2003, M. J. Cuyjet, 1997, 2006b; Harris III, Palmer, &amp; Struve, 2011; Wood, 2012; Wood, Harris, &amp; Khalid, 2015). Some scholars have sought to learn more about the role of individual attitudes, behaviors, and self-concepts of students who are achieving academic success (Harper, 2004, 2008, 2012; F. Harris &amp; Wood, 2013; Hunter &amp; Davis, 1994; Wood, 2012). However, little research has been completed in recent years about the specific attitudes and behaviors associated with degree aspirations of African American college students (Bharmal et al., 2012; Cokley, 2000; Thomas, Smith, Marks, &amp; Crosby, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this research study was to examine data from the 2011 CIRP National College Senior Survey to understand better and draw inferences from the relationships between specific self-concept related factors of African American college students after four years of college and their degree aspirations. </p><p> The conceptual framework for this study was based on Harper&rsquo;s Anti-Deficit Model (Harper, 2012) which suggests researchers should seek to understand degree apsirations of African American students from the viewpoint of those attributes, characteristics or assets that contribute to academic their success versus what students may lack. The study also drew upon the Holistic Identity Model (HIM) (Winkle-Wagner &amp; Locks, 2014), which was built upon the premise that students experience multiple identities simultaneously during their college years and that those identities play a significant role in the manner by which students elect to approach, engage in and aspire to higher education. Together these models provided a guide and a lens by which this study was conducted and through which the results were understood. </p><p> Findings from this quantitative study included the statistical significance and extent of the relationship of academic self-concept, habits of mind, leadership self-concept, social agency, social self-concept, and spiritual self-concept and degree aspirations. Gender-based differences that were statistically significant were reported. Results of the predictability of those self-concept-related factors regarding degree aspirations were also included. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for policy, practice, and further research.</p>

Branding and brand equity, both as theoretical constructs and as a critical part of applied marketing, have received considerable attention in the academic and practitioner literature. Brand equity, generally considered to be the differential in positive brand image and loyalty enjoyed by one brand as compared to that of a lesser known brand, is often attributed to the activities the firm undertakes to promote the brand and communicate its value or benefits. Branding activities, and the resulting brand equity, have been successfully employed by both consumer and industrial firms and those activities may range from those as conventional as television advertising to as esoteric as extreme sports sponsorships. However, brand equity among higher education providers, one of the nation’s largest and most impactful industries, has received far less attention than either consumer or industrial goods and services. Further, the branding activities in which higher education institutions engage, including those associated with business and economic development in their communities, has been neglected in the academic literature. Thus, this investigation seeks to determine the impact those economic development activities have on brand equity as it is perceived by selected stakeholders. Specifically, this research asks if economic development activities, such as incubators, faculty consulting, and entrepreneurial education influences the perceived brand equity of the institution, and if so, in what manner. Of specific interest are the brand equity dimensions of loyalty and image, and if the perceptions of these dimensions differ among types of university stakeholders. As with other brand equity research, brand image and loyalty may vary from segment to segment. This investigation is concerned with three types of stakeholders important to most, if not all, universities; economic development professionals, employers, and alumni. These segments are important in addressing the question of the influence economic development activities have on brand image in the higher education domain as each has the potential to have a profound impact on the success of the institution and its graduates. Employing a qualitative semi-structured interview methodology, to be followed by a two-round Delphi Study, the aim of this research is to address the gap in the literature regarding brand equity in the university domain. The interviews were conducted with sixteen participants representing the three segments. The participants were selected for their expertise in the relevant segment. The resulting interviews were transcribed and then coded to reveal relevant themes and to address the research questions. Subsequent to the interviews, a two-round Delphi study was conducted with the same participants with the aim of reaching expert consensus on the research issues. The research revealed that that four themes dominated the interviews. Functional themes are those that are tangible and applied; integration themes are those that cause the institution to become part of the community; presence themes suggest that simply by its presence in the community, absent of any overt or tangible activity, the university’s brand is impacted and finally, promotion themes suggest that the economic development activities under study have an influence on the brand equity on the institution. The study also discovered that there are differences between how the three segments perceived the activities in that, in most cases, each of the three tended to favor those activities that most closely align with their organizational and personal best interests. A somewhat surprising, and potentially important finding, was the role of students and faculty in the brand image of the university. Student internships were determined to be the most highly rated economic development activity with respect to perceived brand equity, and faculty participation in the community was also highly rated. In both cases, the value of these activities were perceived by the participants as being more important than other more expensive and complex activities such as incubators in the context of building brand equity. Given the lack of existing research in the relationships between business and economic development activities in which universities engage and the brand equity of the university, future research may benefit from continuing to explore this understudied domain in greater detail. As business schools become increasingly interested in experiential education, such as internships and corporate projects, both academic research and applied practice may benefit from a deeper understanding of how these practical and cost effective methods of building a university’s brand benefit the institution, its stakeholders and local communities.

<p> This exploratory dissertation investigates and describes 1) the habits of U.S. college students&rsquo; use of mobile devices in the classroom, and 2) U.S. college students&rsquo; perceptions on policy which bans mobile device usage in the classroom. The study also examines how students&rsquo; demographics influence their usage of mobile devices in the classroom and perceptions on the banning policy. The purpose of this study was to determine how frequently college students self-reported the use of mobile devices in the classroom whether for communication or for activities unrelated to class content and how college students feel about policies banning the use of such devices during class. </p><p> The following research questions framed this quantitative methods study: 1. To what extent do college students use their personal mobile device(s) during class for activities that are not related to class content? 2. Which mobile device activities not related to class content do college student access most often during class time? 3. To what extent do college students feel that mobile devices are a distraction from learning during class time? 4. How do college students perceive banning of mobile device use during class time? 5. To what extent are student demographics related to attitude about mobile devices in college classrooms? </p><p> This study utilized descriptive statistical analysis to summarize and analyze the survey results that were collected from 584 randomly selected U.S. college students. A questionnaire with 13 questions was distributed and collected through SurveyMonkey to the target audience who are: 1) 18&ndash;39 years old, 2) college students, and 3) studying in U.S. The survey results indicated a majority of college students don&rsquo;t perceive using a personal mobile device during class as a substantial distraction nor did the students who completed the survey prefer their instructors implement a policy banning the use of mobile devices for personal reasons in the classroom. In addition, the study found that most students use their personal mobile devices in the classroom for text messaging, social networking, and checking e-mail as those activities not related to the class content.</p><p>

<p> This research study examines the dynamics of student-to-student interpersonal mediated communication motives within asynchronous discussion forums. The objective is to determine the interpersonal mediated communication motives and communicator style of students enrolled in fully asynchronous community college courses with the intention to supplement, enhance, and refine the existing research in online education through the application of relevant theories and methods from the field of communication studies. Specifically, the study seeks to determine students' communication motives for consensus-building and agonistic oriented purposes. A mixed methods approach has been utilized through the implementation of a 5-point Likert scale survey, comprised of forty questions, which was provided towards the end of a traditional 16 week semester to 125 students enrolled in five fully asynchronous courses. In an attempt to discover whether students respond to their classmates' asynchronous discussion forum posts for consensus-building motives or for purposes of engaging in agonistic confrontations, a discourse analysis of various forum responses was performed after completion of the asynchronous courses. Previous studies of community building within asynchronous contexts and interpersonal communication motives research suggest that students enrolled in fully asynchronous courses will engage in student-to-student interpersonal mediated communication for the purpose of pleasure, affection, inclusion, control, companionship, habit, receiving information, participation and functional purposes. Through the implementation of the 5-point Likert-scale survey, I discovered six interpersonal mediated communication motives (inclusion, participation, affection, receiving information, functional and pleasure) of student-to-student responses within fully asynchronous discussion forums and four communicator styles (friendly, attentive, communicator image and impression leaving). The findings from the discourse analysis overwhelmingly revealed that the student-to-student interpersonal mediated communication motive for responding to discussion forum posts was most frequently correlated with the students' rationale for consensus-building as opposed to exhibiting a rationale for agonistic pluralism.</p><p> <b>Key words:</b> interpersonal mediated communication motives, communicator styles, asynchronous discussion forums, higher education, consensus-building, agonistic confrontation.</p><p>

<p> Research on bystanders&rsquo; willingness to intervene in intimate-partner violence (IPV), particularly among young adults, is lacking. Thus, a survey regarding bystander intervention willingness was administered to 318 college students at a large, public university. Various individual and contextual factors were analyzed to understand what makes college students more or less willing to intervene. Participants generally reported high intervention willingness when the IPV incident included the following: a female victim, a friend or acquaintance as the victim, disclosed or suspected IPV behavior, and a private setting. In general, participants were more willing to directly intervene; however, female participants were more willing to offer the victim emotional support. Therefore, bystander intervention willingness depends on gender (victim and bystander); setting (public vs. private); closeness to the victim (friend, acquaintance, or stranger); bystander&rsquo;s level of awareness (IPV disclosure, suspicion, or observation); level of involvement (direct vs. indirect); and intervention response (direct vs. emotional support). Colleges should implement comprehensive programs that improve guardianship, bystander competency, and collective efficacy by focusing on how and when college students can help (e.g., identifying IPV signs, clarifying common misconceptions, and offering resources, and modifying social norms).</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this dissertation was to study perceptions of faculty and administrators at institutions of higher education on copyright ownership of faculty-created digital course content. The central question for this study was: Who had copyright ownership rights of faculty-created digital content and in what manner was copyright ownership developed, implemented, and asserted at institutions of higher education. The five research questions were: (a) How were copyright ownership policies of faculty-created digital content developed and implemented at institutions of higher education?; (b) How were faculty involved in the development of copyright ownership agreements?; (c) What institutional policy and contractual documents contained specific language on copyright ownership rights of faculty-created digital content?; (d) How were institutional assertions of copyright ownership of faculty-created digital content allocated and managed?; (e) How were copyright ownership issues of faculty-created digital content resolved? A descriptive study approach was used to study administrator and faculty perceptions on copyright ownership at five institution types within the State of Texas and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. A total of 100 random faculty and administrator participants were sent the online survey link via e-mail. The online survey included closed-ended and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results from the closed-ended and open- ended questions. In summary, the findings showed that within the participating respondent groups: (a) Most faculty were not involved in the development of copyright ownership policies; (b) Institutions asserted copyright ownership through some institutional document/policy and not through contractual agreements; and, (c) Copyright ownership issues did not arise between the institution and faculty. With the portability of digital content, and the need to utilize and develop said content within the university setting, more faculty and administrators should be aware of, and be involved in copyright ownership policies. The field of study of copyright ownership in accordance to faculty and administrator digitally created content was limited, and more studies should be conducted with a larger population. </p><p>

<p> Adult online learners represent the largest demographic in higher education. Academic leaders increasingly use non-designer instructors (NDIs) to meet demands. NDIs have little control over course design, part of teaching presence valued by learners. This quantitative, predictive correlational study investigated 1) to what frequency online learners&rsquo; perceptions of their NDIs&rsquo; teaching presence predicted learners&rsquo; cognitive presence; and 2) to what frequency did learners&rsquo; use of instructional media resources moderate that predictive relationship, while enrolled in online courses in a private, non-profit university in the western United States. Using The Community of Inquiry (COI) survey, this study measured learners&rsquo; perceptions of presence as they related to online students&rsquo; learning and use of instructional media. Multiple regression analyses tested both hypotheses (<i>n</i> = 128). The first null hypothesis was rejected revealing NDIs&rsquo; teaching presence significantly predicted 52% of the variance of learners&rsquo; cognitive presence, <i>R</i>² = .524, <i>p</i> &lt; .001, <i>f</i>² = 1.08. These findings expand scientific knowledge to the instructional context of NDIs and confirm prior research that found a similar role for teaching presence on cognitive presence. The study failed to reject the null hypothesis for research question two. Frequencies of instructional media use showed a nonsignificant effect on the predictive role of teaching presence on cognitive presence. Further research could examine the unique contributions of the course design sub-factor of teaching presence in the context of courses taught by NDIs. </p><p>