Browsing by Subject "Higher Education"
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Item Affinity Strings: Enterprise data for resource recommendations(Code4Lib Journal, 2008-12-15) Hanson, Cody; Nackerud, Shane; Jensen, Kristi'The University of Minnesota Libraries have created a MyLibrary portal, with databases and e-journals targeted to users, based on their affiliations. The University's enterprise authentication system provides an "affinity string", now used to personalize the MyLibrary portal. This affinity string automates discovery of a user's relationship to the University--describing a user’s academic department and degree program or position at the University. Affinity strings also provide the Libraries with an anonymized view of resource usage, allowing data collection that respects users' privacy and lays the groundwork for automated recommendation of relevant resources based on the practices and habits of their peers.'Item Born Unveiled: The Process, Protest, and Product of Racialization Among International Black African Collegians in US Graduate Education(2024-01) Watson, AshleyThis dissertation focuses on the racialization of graduate international Black African collegians (IBAC) and the effects it has on their racial identity development. The intercentricity of race maintains that race is a defining factor for how one is situated in US society. However, many international students do not come from communities stratified by race first. For example, Black US Americans (BUSA) are socialized to view race as a master narrative from an early age. Yet, IBAC, are socialized in ways that tend to prioritize clan, tribal, or ethnic heritage as differentiating characteristics. I argue that despite being raced as similar, BUSA and IBAC undergo different socialization processes and therefore, the identity formation around race for IBAC follows a different trajectory than that of BUSA. The study includes semi-structured interviews conducted with ten graduate IBAC recruited through purposeful selection. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative approach which seeks to provide detailed examinations of a person’s lived experiences. Based on this analysis, four thematic clusters and 14 subthemes were identified revealing how participants made sense and meaning of their racialization. The first theme, Becoming Veiled, outlines the process of becoming Black in a US context. The second theme, Living Under the Veil, draws attention to how IBAC maneuver through highly racialized environments. The final two themes, Resisting/Refusing the Veil and Opting Out both relate to how participants enact their agency to preserve their core essence. This dissertation extends current understanding of international student identity development by bringing into conversation critical intercultural studies, sociology, Black studies, and comparative education. Results from this study (in conversation with others) makes a strong case for reconsidering a blanket application of Cross’ (1978) Nigrescence Model as a schema for all Black students.Item Career services' contributions to learning outcomes of seniors at a research intensive university.(2009-06) Boettcher, Brett MichaelFew empirical research studies have delved into what college students learn by participating in the services offered by career services, specifically one-on-one advising/counseling, workshops, resource use, events, on-campus recruiting and resource library use. This study examined the extent to which college seniors achieve learning outcomes based on the use or non-use of a career services office. Subjects from both groups were compared on both institutional and career development learning outcomes through an on-line survey. They were also compared based on categorical variables including gender, race/ethnicity, undergraduate degree, graduation date, and school of enrollment. A total of 204 (26%) subjects responded to the survey. The results indicated that a B.A. undergraduate degree (p<0.05) and being registered in the study school of arts and sciences and the school of education and social policy (p<0.05) were associated with the use of career services. There was a significant association between the institutional learning outcome "perspective on how my degree will contribute to my overall career" (p<0.01) and the career development learning outcomes "decide on a career field that fits you" and "develop an understanding of how your degree fits in the working world" (p<0.05) and the non-use of career services. For both institutional and career development learning outcomes, the use of resources other than career services had more impact. The only gender difference was for the institutional learning outcome "knowledge about the importance of being engaged in civic activities in the community" (p<0.05) for which females had a higher association than males. Results indicated that the services "on-campus interviews" and "on-line resources" had the greatest impact on users of career services, while "one-on-one advising/counseling" and "workshops" did not have a significant impact. Learning levels were also found to be similar for users and non-users of career services.Item Case Analysis of Merging Office Cultures Using An Appreciative Framework(2015-08) Konkle, ErinExamining student persistence from both an individual and an institutional perspective provides important knowledge and increased understanding of the student and institutional factors that contribute to student persistence or early student departure. Specifically, this study examined how Appreciative Advising shaped an office culture and perceptions about student success. The benefits of Appreciative Advising to a collegiate office and their students have been illustrated through this case study: a growth mindset, design management, proactive programming, collegial workspaces, and shared responsibilities. Institutions continue to look for the best ways to support employees and to illustrate the influence that creating a strong and cohesive culture plays in furthering the goals of student success. Continuing to understand how institutions are supporting and engaging staff offers hope and promise to the students who stand to benefit and are critical to these institution’s ability to fulfill their missions.Item College Student Environmental Activism: How Experiences and Identities Influence Environmental Activism Approaches(2016-05) King, LauraCollege student environmental activism is one way students civically engage in addressing social issues. This study explores the environmental activism of twelve college students and how their experiences outside of college and in college influenced their activism. In addition, how students’ identities influenced their approach to activism was considered. Each participant approached environmental activism in their own unique way. The way in which students engaged with environmental activism was shaped by their childhood experiences, their worldview, and experiences in College both in and out of the classroom. The identities of participants influenced how they were involved and why they were involved in the current social movement. Students conceptualized the environmental movement and their role in it in different ways. The current movement focused less on saving wilderness and more on addressing climate change and related social issues. The activities participants engaged in fell on a continuum from volunteerism to advocating for social change. Students’ environmental activism was supported by family, peers, K-12 education, and spending time in nature as children. In college, students emphasized the importance of peer networks, interactions with faculty members, and experiences in classes. Students’ identities intersected in unique ways and influenced why they were involved in and how they approached environmental activism. Students discussed the way in which their identities of gender, race, and class shaped their involvement. In addition, some students viewed their sexuality, spirituality, and being a young person as key influencers. Students said their biographic availability enabled them to be involved in environmental activism. Student environmental activists were concerned about oppression and privilege related to how the environmental movement addresses social change.Item Complicating International Education: Intersections of Internationalization and Indigenization(2019-11) Heath, TheresaInternationalization of higher education is no longer a peripheral strategy for most universities and colleges, now positioned to influence multiple layers of institutions. Intercultural learning as a positive and necessary outcome has bolstered the importance of internationalization; in Canada, intercultural learning has increasingly been institutionalized as an organizational strategy. More recently, Indigenization, or the engagement with Indigenous knowledge and peoples, has been taken up by higher education institutions in Canada. These strategies are grounded in differing educational philosophies, values, and motivations but are implemented simultaneously. This dissertation examines one Canadian higher education institution and the intersections of its strategic priorities of internationalization, interculturalization, and Indigenization. Utilizing case study methodology with interviews, document review, and observation as data collection methods, I examine the following research questions: 1) How do faculty and staff conceptualize the university’s international and intercultural efforts and motivations? 2) How does the institutional priority of increasing intercultural understanding engage with the internationalization and Indigenization organizational strategies of the university? 3) How do staff and faculty across the university understand the intersection of Indigenization and internationalization? Through this dissertation, I make two primary arguments. First, internationalization’s implementation through a business framework has motivated a movement toward interculturalization to further academic learning on campus and temper more the neoliberal outcomes of internationalization. This relationship has established a lasting link between the two strategies. Second, the growing engagement of higher education in Indigenization efforts has brought about intersecting strategic priorities and a hope that interculturalization can support and further Indigenization. However, the Indigenization project is supported and motivated by Indigenous autonomy and sovereignty, not by Western organizational frameworks. Further possibilities of engagement require an uncoupling of business and economic motivations for internationalization and interculturalization to open both to the possibility of transformation.Item The Cost Of Accreditation For Small, Private Institutions Of Higher Education(2020-05) Moats, ScottiAccreditation of institutions of higher education is costly but critical to the survival of colleges in the United States. This study investigates the full costs of accreditation at two, small, private institutions of Higher Education. In this study, an indirect-cost template and direct-cost survey are used to estimate the full costs of accreditation, and structured interviews are used to investigate the system, processes, and costs of accreditation. The resulting estimates indicate that total accreditation costs account for about 0.13% of these institutions’ operating budgets per year, during the four- year accreditation period. This study provides a systematic methodology for the estimation of the full costs of accreditation.Item The Effects Of Career Motivation And Intellectual Curiosity On Proactive Career Behaviors In Undergraduate College Students(2020-05) Opsata, BethanyThe rapid change in the contemporary business environment has made careers more complex and requires employees to take a more active role in their career in order to keep pace. This study explored the relationship between career motivation (including career insight, career identity, and career resilience), intellectual curiosity, and proactive career behaviors, measured two ways. The results indicate that there is a positive relationship between the career motivation components of career identity and career insight with proactive career behaviors, but not with the component of career resilience unless it is moderated by the general area of the student’s major. Additionally, student’s self-knowledge has a positive relationship with proactive career behaviors, as does intellectual curiosity when moderated by class standing. The implications for practice are that educators who want to encourage students to increase their voluntary participation in proactive career behaviors may be able to do so by focusing primarily on student’s career insight and career identity, and secondarily their self-knowledge and intellectual curiosity. Further research could be done developing interventions and measuring their impact on students’ career behaviors. And if resources limit the scope of future interventions for either research or practice, an emphasis on career insight will likely make the most impact on students’ career behaviors.Item The Engagement of Faculty Members with Disabilities(2021-03) Campion, PeterEmployee engagement has been studied in many contexts, but studies have often failed to consider how a disability affects engagement. A deeper understanding about the engagement of faculty members with disabilities is necessary to ensure that research and practice are inclusive of all scholars’ experiences. This qualitative study explored how disabilities and relationships relate to employee engagement, disclosure, and accommodation seeking. The research was based on 22 interviews with 11 faculty members from 3 public university campuses in the Midwest. Participants included assistant, associate, and full professors who were registered and receiving accommodations from a university resource center as well as some individuals who had not disclosed their disabilities. Findings illustrated how universities can foster organizational cultures and meaningful relationships that support faculty members with disabilities. Initiatives that facilitate employee engagement for faculty members with disabilities are likely to lead to increased disclosure and accommodation-seeking behaviors. Findings also suggested that universities must bolster support by offering resources and training in order to enable faculty members to overcome the stigma that they experience related to their disabilities. Resources should explain how to navigate both the accommodation-seeking and tenure processes as well as how to effectively work with a disability liaison. Finally, they should help faculty members to advocate for themselves and others.Item Factors Associated with Educational Completion for Students with Physical Disabilities in Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs(2022-10) Sharp, AmandaSince the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 many works related to the ADA and how higher education programs comply with the ADA have been published. However, few studies have investigated the factors associated with educational completion for students with physical disabilities (SWPD) in physical therapist programs. The purpose of this study was to explore the institutional context of where and how education for SWPD occurs and to learn more about factors associated with educational completion for SWPD in physical therapist programs. A conceptual framework was developed based on known educational scholars and on theories specific to the disability community. From the framework, a one-phase convergent approach consisting of a single data collection phase with both a quantitative and a qualitative component was conducted. Data were collected, analyzed separately, and then integrated to enhance the comprehensiveness of the findings. Results provide insight into the current demographics of SWPD in physical therapist education, including the relationship between technical standards, accommodations, disability resource offices, and institutional classification on SWPD with admission and completion. Supports and barriers related to SWPD were identified and can be applied across physical therapist programs. Implications for other health professional programs, ongoing research opportunities, and practice recommendations are detailed.Item Global Engagement of United States Research Universities in the 21st Century(2021-08) Chun, HaelimThe global dimensions of knowledge production have shaped internationalizationwhich has greatly impacted U.S higher education. The transformation of higher education heavily influenced by neoliberal globalization, massification, and marketization have diminished the core tripartite mission of the university in teaching, research, and service to the community. In particular, the service component has been often undervalued. This dissertation research has selected 110 U.S research universities that are classified as Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement to see their engagement beyond their regional boundaries. The main purpose of this study is first, to identify which institutional and human resources characteristics are associate with universities’ global engagement. Second, to develop a multidimensional index to operationalize the measurement of global engagement and examine which universities are considering global engagement as part of their civic engagement agenda. The instrument was tested using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and reliabilities analysis. The final model included eighteen items with six factors that have been confirmed through this study. Third, multiple regression was conducted to see what factors influence US research universities’ global engagement. This research provides insights for higher education leaders to view their global agenda holistically and comprehensively that embraces their commitment toward serving for the global community.Item Higher education and peacebuilding: A comparative case study of peace and conflict studies programs in Kenyan universities(2019-08) Sikenyi, MauriceThis study aimed to understand the role of higher education and peacebuilding in Kenya. In particular, the study explored how university administrators, faculty, students and national officials understand peace, and how university-level peace and conflict studies programs were designed and implemented for peacebuilding in Kenya. The study entailed a year-long period of fieldwork that focused on two Kenyan universities, Amani University and Umoja University , and their PCS programs. It was structured as a comparative case study utilizing semi-structured interviewing, document review and participant observations. The primary findings of this study are as follows: First, participants viewed higher education institutions (universities) as critical actors in the consolidation of peace, and peace and conflict studies (PCS) programs as critical for peacebuilding. However, participants also viewed universities as enablers of ethnic divisions and a culture of violence, a problematic role which participants felt needed to be addressed in order to generate meaningful efforts of peacebuilding through higher education. Secondly, participants understood peace as an outcome of the practice of uwazi and undugu, sustainable development, freedom from corruption, ethnic inclusivity and cohesiveness, absence of physical violence, good leadership and dialogue and reconciliation. I argue that these participants’ constructions of peace, reflected their tacit knowledge, aspirations and lived experiences of conflict and peace that were particular to Kenya and therefore constituted a peace knowledge. Thirdly, faculty utilized peace knowledge and critical pedagogy to design PCS curricula and drew on local knowledge and resources to develop students’ knowledge, skills and agency for peace and justice. Additionally, students’ perspectives revealed transformative experiences in PCS programs. These formations of new perspectives and awareness of peace illustrate the transformative element of a university learning experience and confirmed the critical role of university actors and programs in shaping actions and values for peace and sustainability. This study contributes to understandings of peace and the role of education in peacebuilding. It reveals the relational nature of peace, particularly the role of individual lived experiences as well as context-level factors in shaping perspectives on peace and conflict which differ from one region to another. Subsequently, findings of this research illustrate limitations and promises of higher education institutions (HEIs) as avenues for peacebuilding. In Kenya, HEIs were constrained by competing demands for institutional survival amidst diminishing state financing and the high demand for university level-education and certifications. Similarly, broader social and historical issues within universities and beyond inhibit institutional efforts for peacebuilding. For example, negative ethnicity, electoral malpractice, corruption and inequality in resource allocations are issues that are imbedded in the structural and social fabric of the society in Kenya and require system-wide approaches in addition to peace education. This study concludes that there is a need for governments and educators to advocate for and implement policies and practices that incorporate local knowledge in peace education curriculum. It also suggests the need for a system-wide policy that address social and structural practices that exacerbate tensions and violence within all institutions.Item Higher Education Participation Inequities For Giay And Hmong Vietnamese Thirty Years After Doi Moi(2022-09) Tran, ThuanThis study investigated Giay and Hmong young adults’ perspectives on Vietnam’s contemporary education policy reforms and the sources of higher education inequities that are negatively impacting their communities. Specifically, this study investigated participants’ schooling experiences from basic education to higher education. The study employed counternarrative inquiry, and methods for data collection included interactions via videoconference, semi-structured interviews, participants’ written reflections on their interviews, and virtual focus groups. Nancy Fraser’s (1998) theory on social justice and the requirements of three dimensions – redistribution (economic), recognition (cultural), and representation (political) – framed this study. Results indicated that the redistributive nature of Vietnam’s education policy reforms are inadequate for advancing higher education equity. Participants experienced various forms of cultural disrespect throughout their schooling. Their narratives also showed that Giay and Hmong people lacked political representation which resulted in education policies that mis-identified sources of higher education inequities. Factors that negatively affect performance included poverty, an issue that influenced every aspect of participants’ education-related decisions and assessments of their schooling experience. One of the significant barriers to education engagement was communities’ perception that investment in education had very low returns. This belief stemmed from observations of post-graduates returning to their home village unemployed. Based on these findings, the following three interventions are recommended to redress higher education inequities; (1) procedural consideration for policy development to include political representation, (2) reforms in pedagogical practices to ensure cultural respect and dignity for all, and (3) socioeconomic interventions that increase employment opportunities for Giay and Hmong post-graduates. These recommendations were formed from participants counter stories and are necessary to advance higher education inequities in Vietnam.Item Immigration Policy and International Student Migration in the United States(2019-03) Ha, JasminePrior research has noted several instances when immigration laws and policies might impact the migration patterns of international students; however, the effort to link international student research with the broader study of migration remains limited. One key limitation is the lack of data on international students that encompass multiple destinations or multiple time frames. As King and Raghuram (2013: 132) noted a recent review, “a more sophisticated quantitative analysis […] is also necessary if any kinds of causal relations are to be established.” Accordingly, I curated the best available data on international students in the United States, through a Freedom of Information Act request and two restricted data licenses, which would enable large-scale analyses of international student migration patterns. My overarching hypothesis is that international students are vulnerable to the negative impacts of U.S. anti-immigration policies, both at the federal and the state level, because of their unique status as “side-door immigrants,” an in-between status between “desirable” and “undesirable” immigrants. I examine empirical evidences of international students’ vulnerability with three analyses. First, I consider whether and how U.S. states’ anti-immigration policy may have spillover effects on the enrollment patterns of international students. Second, taking a historical view of changes in U.S. immigration policies since 1986, I consider how policy changes towards a crimmigration regime impact international students’ ways of staying, i.e., their transitions into subsequent migration statuses. Third, contributing to the understanding of localities as unique immigration destinations within the United States, I provide a baseline estimate—the first of its kind—of lifetime retention of international students in their first study location, relative to other U.S.-educated immigrants. My results suggest that international students are indeed vulnerable to anti-immigration policies. By destabilizing the discrete categorization of immigrants, the “side door” framework facilitates future efforts to theorize and analyze unintended, or spillover, policy effects. This is essential for understanding the experiences of all temporary immigrants at the side door relative to policy change.Item Japanese approaches to organizational internationalization of Universities:a case study of three national university corporations.(2010-04) Watabe, YukiThis study aims to develop an understanding of the internationalization processes at universities in Japan by exploring a strategic model in internationally oriented universities. Universities in Japan have experienced university reform since the 1990s. The role and system of Japanese universities have been re-examined due to an emerging global knowledge society and a decrease in the domestic traditional student population. Thus, internationalization has been recognized as a concern in the current aim of university reform. This study explores how and why three exemplary national university corporations have been internationalizing by focusing on the configuration of organizational design, program strategies and contextual factors. It examines how these three exemplary universities have changed their administrative systems to implement selected internationalization initiatives based on their own internationalization strategies. The processes they have engaged in are explored from the perspective of senior leaders, faculty, and administrative support staff who have been in positions involved in the decision-making process of institutional internationalization efforts. This study was designed to portray the process of internationalization in each university’s unique context along with the organizational characteristics of the individual case analyses. It then identifies the common elements of the internationalization process across the three studied universities. Finally, five common elements are presented as a strategic model that could help Japanese universities become more internationally oriented. The five elements are: (1) the development of a deliberate internationalization strategy, (2) the selection of internationalization initiatives: distinctiveness, accessibility and English capacity, (3) a top-down and expertise-oriented steering core, (4) professionalization in international exchange and education, and (5) the matrix structure for internationalization activities.Item Ji-AAnjichigeyang 'to change the way we do things' retention of American Indian students in teacher education.(2009-05) Bergstrom, Amy A.American Indian students have the lowest retention rate of any other group in higher education. The purpose of this study was to understand factors that influence retention of American Indian students and to understand the participants' perspectives of these factors. The study was conducted using interviewing as the method of inquiry. The study aimed to uncover multiple perspectives on the topic, interviewing a Dean, Program Director, and two students from a teacher education program. All interviews were conducted in person, lasting sixty to one hundred twenty minutes. All participants were asked the same ten questions. Analysis of the data indicated the need for change in working with American Indian students. Through the use of story, vignettes, and narrative of the research participants' perspectives, the study presents ways in which to work more effectively with American Indian students. The study indicates it is not just identifying the issues many American Indian students bring with to their higher education experience but more importantly how we work with and respond to these issues. The results of the study offer specifically teacher education programs but more broadly, higher education institutions strategies to work more effectively with American Indian students.Item One Shining Moment: Reconceptualizing Student-Athlete Support Services(2021-08) Fournier, Cole SWritten in the immediate aftermath of the groundbreaking Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation, this paper examines how institutional professionals can capitalize on this sea change in intercollegiate athletics to re-envision what environments student-athletes need to thrive and sunsequently experience the full depth of postsecondary education.Item Paint the Bridge: College Student Perceptions of Institutional Response to Racial Bias on Campus(2020-09) Pallas, AdamA recent increase in racial bias incidents on college campuses have ignited a contemporary conversation about the interplay between free speech on college campuses and an institution’s responsibility to create an inclusive learning environment for all. The purpose of this study is to investigate how college students perceive their institution’s response to a racial bias incident, especially when protecting free speech and promoting an inclusive campus climate are presented as antithetical. I utilized a critical race perspective to conduct a qualitative case study of the events of a racial bias incident at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Eight semi-structured interviews with current University of Minnesota students, coupled with an in-depth analysis of the University using an ecological multidimensional framework for campus climate (Hurtado et al., 2012), revealed findings of how participants contextualize and make meaning of the incidents; how participants understand and value free speech, offensive speech, and hate speech; and how participants recalled and reacted to a statement by the University president almost four years after the statement was issued. Implications for future responses to racial bias incidents are discussed. American public higher education institutions’ commitments to free speech and promoting inclusive campus racial climate are also discussed.Item Partnerships for Sustainability: Eco-collaboration between Higher Education and Ecovillages(2014-03-03) Gladman, KiernanHigher Education Institutions are hierarchical organizational systems which implement sustainability initiatives on- and off-campus, some of which could benefit from forming ecological sustainability-oriented partnerships, or eco-collaborations. Eco-collaborations could be formed between their organizations and intentional communities, also called ecovillages. The systemic and complementary differences between ecovillages and Higher Education Institutions create opportunities for several types of partnerships. Mutual goals and missions may be used as a basis for an eco-collaboration for educational, research, or community engagement activities between Higher Education and ecovillages.Item People Like Me: Disability, Identity, & Experiences in Postsecondary Classrooms(2016-12) Ehlinger, EmilyStudents with disabilities are pursuing postsecondary degrees in growing numbers, yet are still experiencing disparate educational outcomes when compared to their peers. Academic accommodations have been vital in supporting students with disabilities, but not all students choose to disclose and seek out formal supports. Less is known about classroom practices that support these students, regardless of whether they disclose a disability. Utilizing a narrative methodological approach, this study explored the ways in which 13 undergraduate students experienced their identities and disabilities in postsecondary classroom environments and their perceptions of the instructional practices that impacted their learning. The narratives revealed that students’ identities were fluid and that disability was not experienced in isolation from other identities. Students’ identities and disabilities affected their experiences in the classroom environment, and to a large extent, the way that they learned. Instructors, including their tone and messaging, were a significant source of support and at times also posed substantial barriers to students’ academic success. The extent to which community had been fostered, opportunities were provided for peer engagement and interaction, and multiple options were given for learning and demonstrating knowledge also affected students’ ability to learn and thrive in the classroom. Findings of this study support existing practices of Universal Design, although ideas for enhancing existing principles are also discussed. Implications for this study address the need for postsecondary institutions to focus on scholarship and practice to improve classroom experiences for students with disabilities, as well as to enhance instructor capacity to implement Universal Design.