<p> The U.S. system of higher education is under fire for lacking innovation. A key driver of this need to innovate is changing student demographics. Although a universal profile does not exist for tomorrow&rsquo;s college students, these individuals are likely to be different in race/ethnicity, age, wealth, and use of technology. The future viability of U.S. higher education is contingent upon college and university leaders understanding these changing circumstances and acting in ways that will best serve the needs of these future students. Student affairs has an important and active role in educating these incoming students and driving innovation. Innovative student affairs professionals will proactively position themselves to respond to the emerging student population. What might student affairs professionals learn from innovators in the field to prepare for the emerging future? </p><p> This qualitative, multisite case study focuses on adaptive and breakthrough innovations in student affairs at small, private universities that have experienced demographic shifts in the students they serve in order to provide insights on how student affairs leaders might proactively position themselves for the coming changes in student demographics. Innovation is defined as an idea that results in either an adaptation or a radical redesign of student affairs practice. Insights gathered from this research invite student affairs educators to reflect on how the world is changing and how those changes bring about new approaches to student affairs practice.</p><p>

<p> <b>Purpose.</b> The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and systematically describe the essence of the experience of two-year college female basketball athletes coached by male and female coaches. </p><p> <b>Methodology.</b> A phenomenological design was used to explore two-year college female basketball athletes&rsquo; experiences being coached by male and female coaches. The researcher interviewed 10 two-year college female basketball athletes from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties in southern California. The researcher chose the hermeneutic approach because it was grounded in interpretation. As defined by Wojnar and Swanson (2007), &ldquo;hermeneutic phenomenology is the interpretation of the structures of experience and with how things are understood by people who live through these experiences&rdquo; (p. 173). </p><p> <b>Findings.</b> Transcripts from interviews were reviewed and common themes emerged from statements made by the participants. Four major themes emerged from the interpreted meanings, and supported by the participants. The essence of the two-year college female basketball athletes&rsquo; experiences of being coached by male and female coaches was described. </p><p> <b>Conclusions.</b> The results of the study supported previous findings on this topic. However, the results explored an underrepresented group of two-year college female basketball athletes. The key themes that emerged were fundamental basketball (being taught the rudiments of the game, discipline, and structure); perceived authority; coaching preference (male coaching qualities viewed more positively than female coaching qualities), and coaching characteristics (fostering relationships and building trust). </p><p> <b>Recommendations.</b> Future studies could involve more participants, random sampling, or other qualitative or quantitative methods that would provide results more generalizable to a larger population. This study was performed after two-year college female basketball players completed their first year of sports eligibility and required the athletes to recall their past experiences. Further phenomenological research could be conducted looking at two-year college, high school, travel ball (AAU), and four-year college female players in different regions. Finally, the researcher recommended exploring the male and female coaches&rsquo; backgrounds in basketball to explore their experiences and training methods, and how those played into the coaching relationship.</p><p>

The freshman year is the most critical year of matriculation for students in higher education. One in four freshman students drops out of higher education after the first year. In fact, the first two to six weeks of college represent a very critical transition period when students make the decision to persist or depart from the institution. Many students leave because they are unable to make a connection with the institution. Retention is often profoundly affected by student involvement in the academic environment, satisfaction with the campus climate and the institution's response to diversity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate an effective institutional response that promotes freshman retention and academic success. The tenets (diversity training, conflict management, and community building) of a mentoring model were applied to the freshman experience seminar class (experimental group) as a pedagogical method of instruction to determine its efficacy as a retention initiative when compared with the traditional freshman experience seminar class (comparison group). The quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental research design based on Astin's (1993) I-E-O model. The model examined the relationships between the characteristics students bring with them to college, called inputs, their experiences in the environment during college, and the outcomes students achieved during matriculation. Fifty-two students enrolled in the freshman seminar class participated in the study. Demographic data and input variables between groups were analyzed using chisquare, t-tests and multivariate analyses. Overall, students in the experimental group had significantly higher satisfaction (campus climate) scores than the comparison group. An analysis of the students' willingness to interact with others from diverse groups indicated a significant difference between groups, with the experimental group scoring higher than the comparison group. Students in the experimental group were significantly more involved in campus activities than students in the comparison group. No significant differences were found between groups relative to the mean grade point average and reenrollment for fall semester 2001. While the mentoring model did not directly affect re-enrollment of students, the model did promote student satisfaction with the institution, an appreciation for diversity of contact and it encouraged involvement in the campus community. These are all essential outcomes of a quality retention program.

<p> Numerous studies show that undocumented students are less likely to transfer to a postsecondary institution from a community college. However, many students have been able to transfer from a community college and it is important to highlight those narratives from a strengths-based perspective rather than a deficit point of view. This qualitative study explored the narratives of Latina/o undocumented students and how they transferred from a California Community College to a four-year institution. The experience in community college, support from others, and family were some of the reasons Latina/o undocumented students successfully navigated the transfer process. All of the participants indicated that they had to overcome various challenges but were happy with their college experience. Implications and recommendations for best practices and educational policy are provided.</p><p>

abstract: This study investigates the relationships between ESL teachers' beliefs about writing instruction and their use of computer technology in the first-year composition classroom. Utilizing a sociocultural approach, the study analyzes the connections between ESL teachers' instructional beliefs and the technological practices that emerge as a result of these beliefs and decisions. Qualitative research was conducted, and data was collected through classroom observations, teacher interviews, and course materials. Data analysis reveals that regardless of teachers' differing beliefs about writing instruction, they use computer technology when it enhances their teaching and students' learning. It also reveals that factors such as teacher attitude toward technology and adequate training affect the extent to which they incorporate technology into class. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2004

This research evaluates the similarities and differences between lecturers’ intentions in providing performance feedback and how low and high achievers interpret this feedback. The research examines the discussions with the lecturers and students as to the sources of misinterpretations and the solutions which they agree on. In this mixed method case study, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. For the quantitative data, a population of 246 final year medical students were selected to answer a questionnaire to identify their expectations of their assessment lecturers’ feedback in the mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX). 33 mini-CEX feedback sessions given by 14 Family Physician lecturers involving the selected students were audio recorded and analysed, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to determine feedback strategies. Three further sets of qualitative data were collected: the 14 Family Physician lecturers who gave the feedback to the students were interviewed. Also interviewed were 16 low achievers and 17 high achievers who were selected using stratified purposive sampling. Semi-structured telephone interviews identified the students’ interpretations of their lecturers’ feedback. Quantitative analyses showed that more than 90% of the students had high expectations towards all questionnaire statements related to the feedback except the statement about praise. Six themes emerged from the lecturers’ intentions and the low and high achievers’ interpretations. These are feedback as promoting self-regulated learning, feedback as increasing student motivation, feedback for positive reinforcement, feedback improves power sharing, feedback preserves fairness, and feedback as an opportunity. Each of the feedback strategies used by the lecturers may have more than one intention and interpretation. There are misinterpretations which were evident among the low and high achievers towards the lecturers’ feedback. For example, although the intention of adopting self-assessment is to promote self- iii regulated learning, several low and high achievers interpreted it as perceiving fairness in feedback. Low self-efficacy, test anxiety, lack of clarity of the assessment criteria, and learning culture are the four reasons that made the students disagree with the feedback. Discussions between lecturers and students highlighted seven sources and solutions of misinterpretations. This empirical study assists in creating understandings about the similarities and the differences of students’ interpretations of performance feedback. In practise, it also contributes new findings regarding sources and solutions to eliminate misinterpretations. Implications are offered for future research involving other populations of students in different years, faculties, institutions and learning cultures.

No description available.

<p> A causal-comparative research of Colombia&rsquo;s institutional accreditation system (CIAS), specifically the assessment indicators students (S), professors (P) and relevance and social impact (RSI), and the quality of higher education as measured by student graduation rates, graduate employability rates, and student attrition rates has not been sufficiently investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine what differences, if any, exist in student graduation, graduate employability and student attrition based on accreditation status of the university (assessed using indicators of S, P and RSI). The theoretical foundation of the study was excellence in higher education (EHE) model that uses key elements to assess quality and effectiveness of higher education institutions. Data for the study&rsquo;s sample, which comprised of 62 universities, 31 accredited and 31 non-accredited, were extracted from SNIES, the official source of numeric data for all of Colombia&rsquo;s higher education institutions. A Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> test indicated greater rates for student graduation for accredited universities than non-accredited (<i>U</i> = 184.500; <i>Z</i> = -3.421; <i>p</i> = .001). A <i>t</i>-test did not show significant differences in indicators of graduate employability (t(60) = 2.200, <i>p</i> = .320) and student attrition rates (<i>t</i>(60) = 1.102, <i> p</i> = .283) between accredited and non-accredited universities. The findings suggest that S and RSI are valid indicators of quality within the country&rsquo;s accreditation system, but there is a need to reform the indicator P, to improve university quality. Keywords: accreditation measures, student graduation, graduate employability, student attrition, university quality. </p><p>

<p> To be successful and competent in today&rsquo;s global economy requires leaders who are effective in situations characterized by diversity and flux. Eighteen leaders who participated in short-term study abroad (STSA) trip(s) as undergraduates at a midsize Midwestern university shared their perceptions on the ways in which their STSA experiences prepared them to lead today&rsquo;s diverse workforce. Through in-depth qualitative interviews, participants revealed how their exposure to diversity during their STSA trips opened their minds and eyes to new perspectives and ways of thinking. Interviewees indicated that these STSA experiences prepared and developed them in such a way that in their current roles as leaders, they prefer to surround themselves with individuals from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. Collaborating with multicultural and diverse individuals and leveraging the strengths of every team member yields greater productivity and more creative results than what would have been achieved or accomplished from teams of like-minded individuals. Though the leaders said they may have eventually reached similar conclusions, they would not be where they are today if they had not had the STSA experience. </p><p> Additionally, the immersion in a foreign culture during their STSA trips equipped them with confidence, which has translated into their willingness to take more risks as leaders and to not shy away from uncertainty. Being in unfamiliar situations with people they did not know or understand created in them a desire to listen well and take time to understand others&rsquo; perspectives. The complexity they faced in a foreign culture forced them to develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills, flexibility, and adaptability in order to effectively navigate the challenges they encountered. As a result, those experiences and the learning they gained have equipped them to lead in today&rsquo;s volatile marketplace. NVivo software was utilized for the analysis of data.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to review changes in the selection type of presidential leaders in colleges and universities. While it is not a common phenomenon, the hiring of nontraditional presidents in academia is not a new concept; they have been existence since the sixteenth century. Based on current hiring practices over the past ten years there has been an increase in the shift of leadership styles of college presidents (ACE, 2007). By all accounts, it would appear the focus is now aligned with organizational business practices and less from the traditional academic presidential selection perspective. </p><p> In analyzing studies of academic institutions and their presidents, there are documented cases in which the hiring credentials have changed; no longer is a terminal degree a requirement. If the candidate has successfully led major change initiatives, increased growth and profit margins in the private sector, or have led successful political careers, they can be eligible as serious contenders for the role of college president. Further, this research highlights the need for change, implications to the overall academic structure and how organization development strategies can be incorporated into higher education leadership styles to promote growth, success and sustainable change. </p>