Conceptions of learning and teaching shape teaching practices and are, therefore, important to understanding how engineering professors learn to teach. There is abundant research about professors' conceptions of teaching; however, research on the conceptions of teaching of doctoral students, the future professors, is scarce. Furthermore, there is a need to understand not just future engineering professors' conceptions of teaching but also their conceptions of learning. The purpose of this study was to explore qualitative variations in future engineering professors' conceptions of learning and teaching as well as understanding how they came to these conceptions. The research questions that guided this qualitative study are the following: 1) How do future engineering professors describe their conceptions of learning engineering?, 2) How do future engineering professors describe the basis of their conceptions of learning engineering?, 3) How do future engineering professors describe their conceptions of teaching engineering?, and 4) How do future engineering professors describe the basis of their conceptions of teaching engineering? Twenty doctoral engineering students interested in academic careers were interviewed. A phenomenographic approach was used to explore variations in conceptions of learning and teaching. The basis of conceptions of learning and teaching were explored using thematic analysis. Six variations in future engineering professors' conceptions of learning engineering emerged and included learning engineering as 1) acquiring knowledge, 2) gaining an understanding, 3) practicing problem solving, 4) applying knowledge, 5) developing an approach, and 6) maturing. Each conception of learning was described by seven dimensions or features: focus, nature of knowledge, view of engineering, strategies, assessments, interactions, and relational. Participants described the basis for their conceptions of learning engineering through four general themes: undergraduate student experience, research, graduate school experience, and prior teaching experiences. Five categories of conceptions of teaching engineering emerged and included teaching engineering as 1) delivering knowledge, 2) helping understand and apply concepts, 3) motivating students, 4) helping students learn how to approach problems, and 5) preparing students to make socially conscious decisions. In describing conceptions of teaching, five dimensions were identified: focus, strategies, use of students' prior knowledge, faculty-student interaction, conception of learning, and projects. Observing professors, student experience, talking about teaching, and teaching experience were described by participants as the basis for their conceptions of teaching engineering. The findings of this study are consistent with previous categorizations of university professors' conceptions of teaching from teacher-centered/content-oriented to student-centered/learning-oriented. However, this study contributes to the literature of engineering education and faculty development by contextualizing the conceptions of learning and teaching of future engineering professors. Furthermore, this study provides richer descriptions of variations in other aspects of teaching and learning engineering such as future professors' views on student interactions, student development, assessment, motivation, problem solving, assumptions about knowledge, teaching and learning strategies. In addition, this study contributes to our understanding of how professors learn about teaching. In particular, the exploration of the basis for the conceptions of learning and teaching opens new avenues to explore how conceptions of teaching and learning evolve over time. This study closes with implications for faculty development and suggestions for further research.

As widely recognized, the voices of community members have been severely overlooked in scholarship. This dissertation reports on interviews with 36 community partners from the three most common types of university-community partnerships in composition and rhetoric: Youth mentored in their writing by first-year composition (FYC) students; Non-profit staff acting as clients for upper-division professional writing students; and Community members (including adult literacy learners, youth slam poets, and rural teachers) working with graduate students in a community literacy practicum or engaged research course. The project offers a theoretical rationale for listening to community voices, combining theories from community development with critical raced-gendered epistemologies to argue for what I term "asset-based epistemologies," systems of knowing that acknowledge the advantages marginalized communities bring to the knowledge production process in service-learning. The dissertation also suggests a reciprocal, reflective storytelling methodology that invites community partners to analyze their own experiences. Each set of community members offered a distinct contribution to community-based learning: Latino/a high school students mentored by college students revealed the need to nuance traditional outcomes-based notions of reciprocity. The high school students experienced fear about interacting with college students, a response that I understand through Alison Jaggar's concept of "outlaw emotions." To mitigate this fear, the youth suggested emphasizing cultural assets and relationships, leading to what I term "relational reciprocity." Non-profit staff detailed their complex motivations for collaborating with professional writing courses, challenging the often-simplistic representations of non-profit partners in professional writing scholarship. Invoking the theory of distributed cognition, I use non-profit staff insights to describe how knowledge circulates in non-profits and how students can interact and write more effectively in organizational contexts. Community members who interacted with graduate students in a range of projects used the term "openness" to describe healthy partnerships, and I build from their stories, along with insights from bell hooks and Maria Lugones, to detail a disposition of openness needed for engaged work. This disposition includes open communication, open structures, open minds, open hearts, and open constructions of self and others. The dissertation concludes with an argument for attention to "relational literacies" in both service-learning practice and scholarship.

abstract: To sustain world preeminence, 21st century university and college leaders in the United States are redesigning their institutions organizationally and culturally to align with the direction of local and global societies and markets. The New American University enterprise model at Arizona State University has become one of the leading organization and cultural redesigns in United States higher education since its inception in 2002. Yet, sustaining a 21st century model such as this one means every individual in the college or university must understand his or her specific role to further progress the new model forward. Therefore, to advance and sustain a 21st century higher education redesign model at a U.S. college or university, it becomes imperative that every master-level professional who works in the academic/student services field at the institution understand his or her specific role in helping to further progress the new model forward. To this end, there is a need to change the way graduate students in higher education/student affairs masters programs are educated to work in the 21st century institution. This change can prepare new professionals to understand these enterprise models and how to integrate them into their practice in order to meet the needs of the institution, local and global societies and markets. The purpose of this action research study is to highlight one program, the ASU M.Ed. Higher and Postsecondary program, and show how graduates from 2007 - 2011 understand New American University concepts and integrate them into professional practice within higher education. Through use of a quantitative approach, this action research study described how the ASU M.Ed. in Higher and Postsecondary program graduate students' understanding of New American University concepts informs their thinking and practice to lead and respond to changes and challenges facing today's 21st century higher education field. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Higher and Postsecondary Education 2011

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Linda P. Thurston / Navigation and completion of a doctoral degree presents numerous challenges, including managing and understanding the faculty advisor/advisee relationship. Research shows faculty advisors are a critical aspect of the doctoral student experience; however faculty advisors and doctoral students do not always have the same perceptions of the advisor/advisee relationship. This study focused on measuring perceptions of faculty advisors and doctoral students in STEM and social science disciplines on various aspects of the advisor/advisee relationship. Likert-style survey items were used to measure perceptions of six constructs, advisor attributes and characteristics, roles and functions, relationship behaviors, and the faculty advisor role in student academic success, professional socialization, and engagement. Surveys were completed by 137 faculty advisors and 131 doctoral students. Analysis of data was conducted using various methods, including comparison of descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and a factorial analysis of variance. Results of the data analysis revealed some significant differences between the perceptions of faculty advisors and doctoral students on several constructs. The discussion of results focuses on connections to current literature, as well as implications for future research and practice.

abstract: This dissertation examines collaborative inquiry as a form of graduate mentoring. To investigate this issue, I analyze the research and writing process of a team of five multilingual graduate students and their mentor as they collaboratively design, implement, and report a study based in their local writing program over the course of two years. Through a qualitative activity analysis of team meetings, participant interviews, and the team’s written drafts and email correspondence, I investigate the ways in which self-sponsored, team-based collaborative research and writing supports participants’ learning and development of a professional identity. Key findings show that unanticipated obstacles in the research context present participants with “real-world” dilemmas that call forth disciplinary alignments, reinforce existing disciplinary practices, and, most importantly, generate new practices altogether. An example of this process is reflected in the research team's frequent need to adjust their research design as a result of constraints within the research environment. The team's ability to pivot in response to such constraints encouraged individual members to view the research enterprise as dynamic and fluid, leading ultimately to a heightened sense of agency and stronger awareness of the rhetorical challenges and opportunities posed by empirical research. Similarly, participants’ demonstrated an ability to recognize and resolve tensions stemming from competing demands on their time and attention during the course of their graduate study. Actively constructing resonances across various domains of their graduate worlds—coursework, teaching, and non-curricular research and professionalization activities—served to clarify purposes and increase motivation. An additional aspect of this study is the way graduate students leverage their language resources in the collaborative process. This dissertation extends the disciplinary conversation by investigating ways in which language resources function as rhetorical tools within the research context. This focus on language, in concert with collaboration and rhetorical stances to inquiry, challenges persistent views of authorship, apprenticeship, and language norms, while simultaneously lending insight into how graduate students invent new ways of participating in their professional worlds. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2015

abstract: This action research study is a mixed methods investigation of doctoral students’ preparedness for multiple career paths. PhD students face two challenges preparing for multiple career paths: lack of preparation and limited engagement in conversations about the value of their research across multiple audiences. This study focuses on PhD students’ perceived perception of communicating the value of their research across academic and non-academic audiences and on an institutional intervention designed to increase student’s proficiency to communicate the value of their PhD research across multiple audiences. Additionally, the study identified ways universities can implement solutions to prepare first-generation PhD students to effectively achieve their career goals. I developed a course titled Preparing Future Scholars (PFS). PFS was designed to be an institutional intervention to address the fundamental changes needed in the career development of PhD students. Through PFS curricula, PhD students engage in conversations and have access to resources that augment both the traditional PhD training and occupational identity of professorate. The PFS course creates fundamental changes by drawing from David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) developed by Robert Lent, Steven Brown, and Gail Hackett. The SCCT looks at one’s self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, goal representation, and the interlocking process of interest development, along with their choice and performance. I used a concurrent triangulation mixed methods research model that included collecting qualitative and quantitative data over 8 weeks. The results of the study indicated that PhD students’ career preparation should focus on articulating the relevancy of their research across academic and non-academic employment sectors. Additionally, findings showed that PhD students’ perception of their verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate the value of their research to both lay and discipline specific audiences were not statistically different across STEM and non-STEM majors, generational status, or gender, but there are statistical differences within each group. PhD programs provide students with the opportunity to cultivate intellectual knowledge, but, as this study illustrates, students would also benefit from the opportunity to nurture and develop practical knowledge and turn “theory into practice.” / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2016

One of the most important aspects of the American field of International Relations (IR) is the deeply-rooted and broadly shared commitment to a “scientist” understanding of scholarly work. Scientism can be described as an indubitable belief in our ability to produce value-free and non-normative knowledge and in the power of such knowledge to resolve societal problems. Since the mid-20th century, this scientist commitment prevailed in the main approaches and standards guiding the practice of IR scholarship in the United States. One problem with the dominance of scientism is that it reproduces a restrictive view of American IR scholarship. More precisely, the dominance of scientism has not only limited the diversity of methodological and theoretical approaches but, this thesis argues, also restricted American IR scholars’ ability to further different understandings of the legitimate purposes of scholarly work. Following this idea, this thesis endeavors to challenge the dominance of scientism and legitimize alternative forms of scholarship in American IR. More precisely, this thesis advances that American IR scholars’ work is guided by three categories of objectives, that is, the production of scientific knowledge, the application of knowledge and the advancement of critical thinking. To clarify how these three objectives are concretely formulated, the thesis also specifies nine categories of epistemic approaches (e.g. forms of methods and theories) that are associated with scientific, applied and critical objectives. This categorization is conceived as a useful thinking tool for understanding how and why scholarship is generated in American IR. After detailing this categorization, the thesis underlines the specific value and purpose associated with each category of objectives by examining a series of graduate education programs in American IR. This empirical examination concentrates on ten professional M.A. and ten PhD programs offered in elite American universities. Using a discursive analysis of the curriculum and the syllabus of one core course in each program, the thesis discusses how and why scientific, applied and critical objectives are furthered in American IR. It particularly underscores why applied and critical objectives are marginalized across the selected graduate education programs and the benefits associated with these alternative orientations for American IR. In doing so, this thesis helps challenge the dominance of scientism and legitimize other forms of scholarship in American IR.

Orientador: Lea Maria Leme Strini Velho / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociências / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T20:01:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ramos.MilenaYumi_D.pdf: 3229111 bytes, checksum: 8cb6ebd43bb24cd6a7b29bef38e11524 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Esta tese explora a(s) interpretação(ões) e a(s) abordagem(ns) que o Brasil - em nível governamental e institucional - tem adotado, a partir de meados de 1990, quanto aos processos de mobilidade, colaboração e internacionalização do ensino superior e da pesquisa e seu rebatimento na formação de doutores no contexto da economia do conhecimento. Para isso, analisa: (i) as evidências e argumentos que suportam o foco recente da política brasileira de formação doutoral; (ii) as visões, estratégias e condições dos programas de pós-graduação brasileiros de excelência quanto à internacionalização do ensino superior e da pesquisa; e (iii) o perfil dos doutores formados no Brasil, em termos de competências e habilidades, vis-à-vis aquele buscado pelos principais empregadores na atualidade. Constatou-se que o país tem enviado cada vez menos estudantes de doutorado ao exterior para formação plena. Em contrapartida, a formação em instituições nacionais, complementada por estágios de pesquisa no exterior (na forma de períodos sanduíche ou pós-doutorados), tornou-se a forma preferencial de treinamento avançado. Entre os programas de pós-graduação que atingiram excelência internacional, de acordo com critérios da Capes, uma concepção de internacionalização orientada a atividades é predominante: a mobilidade internacional é entendida como o principal mecanismo para impulsionar o intercâmbio científico e a colaboração em pesquisa, contribuindo para expandir seu perfil e impacto internacional. Essa visão é realizada por meio de um modelo ainda fortemente baseado numa "abordagem para o exterior", na qual a pesquisa está claramente no centro do processo de internacionalização. Embora incipientes, iniciativas de atração de acadêmicos estrangeiros e esforços de "internacionalização em casa" começam a ganhar espaço. Em geral, a presença de docentes com formação, experiência e interesse internacional que conseguem mobilizar suas redes internacionais para estabelecer intercâmbio científico e colaborações em pesquisa é apontada como condição chave para a internacionalização. Porém, a ausência de uma estratégia nacional, a falta de sistemas administrativos eficientes, de políticas institucionais e de gestão profissional nas instituições obstaculizam o desenvolvimento dessas conexões em laços de cooperação mais significativos e sustentados. O movimento de diversificação da formação de doutores ainda não encontrou espaço no país. O modelo vigente, único, focado na carreira e no desempenho acadêmico, está assentado em uma visão quantificada de qualidade da ciência. Tal modelo não estimula o desenvolvimento de competências e habilidades compatíveis com os requisitos da ciência contemporânea e dos principais empregadores de doutores na atualidade / Abstract: This PhD thesis explores interpretation(s) and approach(es) that Brazil - in the governmental and institutional levels - has adopted, from the 1990s, relative to the processes of mobility, collaboration and internationalization of higher education and research and their impact on the doctoral training in the context of the knowledge economy. In so doing, it analyses: (i) evidence and arguments supporting the recent focus of the doctoral training policy in Brazil; (ii) the visions, strategies and conditions of Brazilian graduate programs of excellence with regard to internationalization of higher education and research; and (iii) the profile of doctorate holders trained in Brazil, in terms of competences and skills, vis-à-vis those sought by major employers currently. It was found that the country has increasingly sent fewer students to pursue doctoral training abroad. On the other hand, doctoral training in national institutions, complemented by research internships abroad (as visiting PhD students or post-doctoral researchers), became the preferred form of advanced training. Among the graduate programs that have attained international excellence, according to Capes, an activity-oriented conception of internationalization is predominant: international mobility is seen as the main mechanism to boost scientific exchanges and research collaboration, thus strengthening the programs¿ international profile and impact. This view is realized by means of a model still heavily based on an "abroad approach", in which research is clearly at the center of the internationalization process. Although incipient, initiatives to attract foreign scholars and efforts towards "internationalization at home" are gaining momentum. In general, the presence of faculty members trained abroad, with international experience and interest who can mobilize their international networks to establish scientific exchanges and research collaborations is considered a key condition for internationalization. However, the absence of a national strategy, the lack of efficient administrative systems, institutional policies and professional management in most of Brazilian institutions hamper the development of those connections into more meaningful and sustained cooperation. The diversification of doctoral training models has not found space in the country. The only current model, focused on academic career and performance, is based on a quantified vision of quality in science. This study clearly shows that such model does not stimulate the development of a set of competences and skills compatible with the requirements of contemporary science and of the main employers of doctorate holders currently / Doutorado / Politica Cientifica e Tecnologica / Doutora em Política Científica e Tecnológica

Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) are an evolving genre of graduate student research that is gaining widespread acceptance among universities in the international community. ETDs are also beginning to diffuse slowly among American universities; however, a number of issues continue to work against more rapid adoption among intitutions in the United States. This dissertation examines ETDs as an evolving electronic research genre by (1) historicizing the situated development of its predecessor, the traditional print dissertation, in nineteenth century German and American Universities; (2) reporting on the current state of the Networked Digital Library of Electronic Theses and Dissertations, an initiative of Virginia Polytechnic University; (3) analyzing ETDs as a technological innovation undergoing the diffusion process according to Emmet Roger's Diffusion of Innovation Theory; and (4) presenting the results of an ETD pilot project case study carried out at the University of South Florida.

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