<p> Colleges and universities, to remain viable social institutions, will need to serve a more diverse population of students and do this well (Bierda &amp; Chait, 2011). First, they must respond to the changing demographics of the nation. The minority population will most likely be in the majority by the next U.S. census (Humes, Jones, &amp; Ramirez, 2011). According to information from the U.S. Census in 2010, 308.7 million people reside in the United States (Humes et al., 2011). This is an increase of 9.7% since 2000, and this increase is attributed to the growing population of those who do not identify as White (Humes et al., 2011). With this change, there will be an increase in diverse students in our schools and postsecondary institutions. </p><p> While Christian colleges should have made more progress on diversity-related efforts, such as enrolling more diverse students and increasing faculty diversity, the fact is that most have not&mdash;many have failed to recognize how diversity benefits students and the institution. This starts with an awareness of diversity and diversity objectives. The problems are many, but one key element may be that they do not have a ready-made roadmap to follow to make diversity an explicit part of their mission and focus. This study will highlight two institutions within the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities that have made an explicit commitment to diversity. The study will focus on the processes employed and challenges faced by two universities that have been successful in establishing a commitment to diversity. </p><p> The study followed a qualitative approach, and interviews were conducted with participants from two different institutions. The focus of the interviews was on the diversity statement, the roles of leaders in the change process, and the obstacles the institutions faced in becoming a more diverse community. Impacts of the diversity statement on faculty, curriculum, and leadership were also analyzed. </p><p> The major themes in the findings of the study included: (a) the link between institutional mission and values in diversity efforts, (b) the roles leaders played in the change process, and (c) the role of diversity champions in creating change. The results offer recommendations to college presidents and chief diversity officers for how to create change in diversity efforts on campus.</p><p>

Three projects are represented in this portfolio. Two involve practical work in the National Health Service and the higher education sector and one is a conceptual study of reflection in learning and professional development. All of the projects had the aim of developing clarity and effectiveness in particular areas of education - professional development, training, teaching and learning. The NHS project on professional development in health promotion (UK Professional Development Project in Health Promotion) aimed to improve the ability of those in non-specialist health promotion posts (e.g. nurses and teachers) to educate for health. Contributions of the work towards knowledge are in its concerns for ensuring that short courses have a significant impact on participants particularly through the use of an outcomes-based approach and planned reflective activities. The second project concerned the implementation of a credit framework in Welsh higher education. The development of a credit framework increases access to and flexibility within higher education by providing a generally accepted currency for learning. The main contributions of this work are in the development of specifications for this currency - guidance for writing learning outcomes and level descriptors. Reflection plays an important role in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of learning and the development of reflective capacities is central to the level of learning expected of graduates. The third project is a conceptual investigation of reflection, its interpretation in theoretical, professional and educational contexts and a consideration of how reflection is related to deep and effective learning. This involves the development of a new model of learning and the representation of learning both to elucidate reflection and to find better ways of using it to support the quality of learning at higher levels. There is substantial section on practical activities that encourage reflection in learning, including journal writing. While there are various interests in reflection, there have been few attempts to synthesise the ideas emanating from different disciplines and to relate them to current thinking about learning. The portfolio itself consists of the unpublished papers of the first two projects and an overview document that accompanies the portfolio describes the portfolio in the context of their contribution towards purpose, clarity and effectiveness in training, teaching and learning.

<p> When major transnational events occur, such as the 2015 economic crisis within Greece, the 2016 violent conflicts within Turkey, and the creation of political policies such as the 2017 President Trump Executive Orders on visa and immigration, the effects ripple throughout the field of international higher education. How higher education institutions take into consideration such external forces, ultimately, can affect their internationalization efforts, strategies, and successes. </p><p> This qualitative study explores what the external forces are that affect a university&rsquo;s internationalization strategies, specifically in inbound and outbound mobility programs. It further examined in what way these forces are affecting their strategies and how universities adapt to these forces. Using data from the <i>Open Doors: Reports on International Education Exchange</i> and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), three private universities were selected that demonstrate large internationalization, inbound and outbound mobility strategies: Boston University, Northeastern University, and the University of Southern California. Further, this study was grounded in Kim Cameron&rsquo;s (1983, 1984) strategic choice and adaptation frameworks as a theoretical foundation, as the survival of the institution in today&rsquo;s global age is dependent on how well the institution can adapt during times of change. </p><p> The findings in this study reveal common themes across the three institutions, which resulted in seven external forces, or the Internationalization Forces. These forces have positive and negative effects on universities, which are demonstrated and plotted on a coordinate plane resulting in four distinct quadrants: Beneficial, Stressful, Harmful, and Creative. Finally, each case demonstrated that they are adapting their strategies across Cameron&rsquo;s (1983, 1984) three domains: Defense, Offense, and Creation. </p><p> Overall, the study underscores the impact that the external world has on higher education. Understanding the volatility of the Internationalization Forces can further assist higher education institutions in the facilitation of their internationalization strategies.</p><p>

Magister Educationis - MEd / This research project was an in-depth case study, an investigation of a small sample of white South African male academics from the University of Cape Town who were part of the USHEPiA (University Science, Humanities, and Engineering Partnerships in Africa) initiative. The project investigated these University of Cape Town academics experiences and perceptions of another African country and university, and considered the effect that this might have had on the academic's own life. / South Africa

<p> Nurse preceptors are challenged to not only teach but also evaluate student nurse&rsquo;s clinical skills in a complex practice environment. This basic qualitative study illuminated factors that influenced the role of the nurse preceptor, as well as teaching and evaluation aspects in the precepting guidance of student nurses. Albert Bandura&rsquo;s self-efficacy theory and Patricia Benner&rsquo;s novice to expert model guided the research study. Using semistructured audiotaped interview, 12 registered nurses were asked about specific practices, approaches, and methods used in their roles of precepting undergraduate nursing students. Findings revealed nurse preceptors valued building a rapport with student nurses in the role of the nurse preceptor and adopting the role of socializer while doing so; however, collectively they expressed that providing necessary but tough guidance through redirecting students&rsquo; behavior was their least favored role. Nurse preceptors found using a step by step process with student nurses worked best and that observation was the primary source of evaluating students&rsquo; clinical performance. Preceptors used observation as the primary source for evaluating students clinical performance and use subjective evaluations more frequently than other evaluation methods. </p><p>

Recent advances in the use of information and communications technologies in Higher Education have led to an explosion of interest in networked learning, which offers the potential for more open ended and flexible study in an ODL context. Anew generation of resource based courses in networked environments combines access to a wide variety of resources in electronic form, with the construction and negotiation of meaning through online collaborative interaction. This study set out to establish what assessment strategies might be appropriate to support student learning in this context. A case study of one Open University undergraduate course was undertaken over a three year period, with three cohorts of students, and the findings were compared with a short study of a second postgraduate course. The research explored perspectives on resource based learning in networked environments and highlighted aspects of assessment which appeared to support learning effectively. These findings led to the refining of assessment in later course presentations, demonstrating a successful interplay between evaluation and teaching practice. The study has confirmed that the assessment strategy must be aligned with the exercise of self-directed learning, whilst developing information handling and online collaborative skills, and allowing scope for open-ness and flexibility in content. The extent to which these criteria for design are important will depend on the stage of development of the students, and the aims, and degree of openness of the course. The experience here shows that it is important to identify and differentiate between appropriate skills required for a course, and those which the course will seek to develop, so that the assessment can reflect these aims.

<p> The problem of food insecurity among students in higher education, specifically students who belong to historically marginalized populations, is a serious national problem that is under researched. While data are not being collected universally, higher education institutions are beginning to report on this issue. Research reflects that 1 in 5 California State University students is experiencing chronic food insecurity and 1 in 10 is reporting experiences of homelessness. Higher education colleges are beginning to address this problem by casting a net of resources like food pantries, meal donations on student cards from other students, emergency funds through grants, CalFresh outreach and enrollment (federally funded program known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and other campus-unique programming to serve hard-to-reach, vulnerable students. This study explores such services at a public California State University-Hispanic Serving Institution with the goal of understanding students&rsquo; lived experiences related to accessibility of food programming and resources in higher education. By exploring the perceptions of four students that are female who were food insecure related to their utilization of food programs directed at ensuring student food security, this study intends: (1) to explore students&rsquo; satisfaction with campus food programming, (2) to describe the participants&rsquo; knowledge of campus food programs and healthy food options, and (3) to explore the relationship between food programming and policies and the lived experiences of students. This study is important because oftentimes research is missing the unheard voices of students. By embracing students&rsquo; stories, researchers can learn of their real-life experiences. This allows for a greater understanding of the significance of food insecurity and its impact on students using food programs in higher education settings. </p><p>

<p> A noted discrepancy between the skills demanded by industry and the skills engineering graduates are proficient in has engendered a push for reform in undergraduate engineering curriculum. As a result, many institutions are now implementing supplemental leadership development programs to better prepare students for the collaborative work and leadership roles they will encounter on the job. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of one such program, and then to measure self-perceived success of program alumni when compared to a non-leadership-program control group. Archival survey data and focus groups were utilized to confirm proposed hypotheses. Obtained results suggested significant improvements in engineering undergraduate students following leadership development exposure. Following graduation, these improvements persisted as increased self-perceived competency and a heightened awareness of the importance of leadership, teamwork, and communication in the workforce. This research suggests formalized leadership development training as a complimentary curriculum for engineering undergraduates facilitates the successful transition into the workplace following graduation.</p><p>

<p> As we become more advanced technologically in our online educational courses, it is imperative that we also incorporate effective research-based practices such as the use of formative assessment. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of formative self-assessment to academic achievement and self-efficacy in online graduate courses. The research included a review of online education, formative assessment, self-efficacy, and associated learning theories. </p><p> A mixed methods study was used that included quantitative and qualitative data for triangulation of the study results. A correlational research design was used for the quantitative approach and a phenomenological research design was used for the qualitative approach. The correlational research design was chosen to examine the relationships between variables and to describe the current state. The phenomenological research design was chosen because the study was focused on the relationship of a particular phenomenon to the participant&rsquo;s cognitive and dispositional experiences. The subjects included students that were enrolled in Master&rsquo;s in Education or Doctor of Education courses from three universities located in Southern California. The methodology included student self-assessment through a project rubric, a survey to operationalize academic achievement, and a survey and interviews to operationalize student self-efficacy. While the statistical findings did not reflect strong correlations, the non-statistical findings reflected a positive relationship between formative self-assessment as it related to academic achievement and student self-efficacy in online graduate programs. Formative self-assessment provides online educators with a tool to enhance the course effectiveness and the overall learning process.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this research study was to investigate the effects of teaching a mindfulness curriculum to graduate physical therapy (PT) students in the classroom. The researcher investigated two research questions. How does training PT graduate students in mindfulness strategies affect self-regulation, stress management, and trait mindfulness in personal and professional life immediately following training and 8 weeks posttraining?, and What is the experience of PT students being trained in mindfulness in personal and professional life related to self-regulation, stress and trait mindfulness? This was a mixed methods, comparison and intervention study design conducted with N=32 graduate PT students, who were divided into intervention and comparison groups. The intervention group received a mindfulness curriculum over a 6 week period. Pre and posttests (immediately and 8 weeks after) were given to both groups with Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Qualitative interviews were done immediately after experiment. Statistical analysis using two-way MANOVA revealed statistically significant findings across time for the PSS and FFMQ, an interaction between time and group for the MSLQ, PSS, and FFMQ, and group across time for the PSS. Qualitative analysis showed Prior Experience, Perception, Mindfulness Tools, Challenges, Stress Management, Self-Regulation, Continued Application, and Feedback on Course as categories, each containing subcategories and themes. Incorporating mindfulness into PT education was shown to increase self-regulation, decrease student stress, and increase trait mindfulness.</p><p>