scholarly journals Institutions of Opportunity: Using Presidents’ Narratives to Re-tell the Story of Public Regional Universities

10.28945/4167 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 117-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin R McClure
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Appreciative Inquiry ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Higher Education Professionals ◽  
Regional Universities ◽  
Positive Core

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide an appreciative re-telling of public regional universities (PRUs) to advance the study of postsecondary education. Background: Journalists, scholars, and policymakers frequently describe PRUs from a deficit perspective. The dominant narrative about PRUs influences how we prepare new higher education professionals, where faculty and staff members opt to apply (and stay), where students choose to study, how policymakers craft legislation, and where donors decide to give money. Methodology: Guided by principles of appreciative inquiry, the study features organizational narratives through interviews with 19 active presidents of PRUs. Contribution: This study underscores what is working well at PRUs—what appreciative inquiry calls the “positive core” of organizations. This positive core can be mined to advance these organizations and improve how we study postsecondary education, prepare new higher education professionals, and craft legislation. Findings: Presidents’ narratives revealed the positive core of public regional universities, which consisted of (1) serving marginalized student populations, (2) transforming lives through student success, (3) employing mission-driven teacher-scholars, (4) prioritizing low tuition and lean management, and (5) promoting the economic and cultural welfare of the region. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study sheds light on the need to study PRUs in higher education administration graduate programs. Additionally, re-telling the story of PRUs can influence the ways in which higher education faculty members and staff think and communicate about their institutions by identifying possible strengths they can showcase and on which they can build. Recommendation for Researchers: This study calls on researchers to critically evaluate the language they use to describe PRUs and the extent to which they perpetuate the dominant narrative about these institutions. It also recommends the use of appreciative inquiry as a way to understand and enhance postsecondary education institutions. Lastly, this study recommends additional scholarly attention on PRUs. Impact on Society: This study can elevate societal awareness of PRUs and increase public support for them. Additionally, this study can help to identify strengths at PRUs that can be leveraged to enhance these institutions and benefit the communities they serve. Future Research: This study reveals several fruitful avenues for future research, including how PRUs serve Minoritized, veteran, adult, low-income, and first-generation students, the ways in which these institutions contain costs and keep tuition low, and the role of PRUs in the geography of college opportunity.

scholarly journals Employers’ Perspectives on the Performance of Higher Education Institutions in Preparing Graduates for the Workplace: A Review of the Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R Hodgman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Job Attainment ◽  
Higher Education Professionals ◽  
Educational Credentials

Educational credentials play an important role in the job attainment process. To employers, academic credentials signal that a prospective employee has acquired certain competencies that certify readiness for the workplace. As grantors of educational credentials, higher education institutions (HEIs) are entrusted with the important duty of preparing graduates to enter the workforce. In order to better understand what employers need from HEIs in terms of preparing recent graduates for the workforce and the degree to which employers currently view the performance of HEIs in terms of preparing graduates to meet these needs, a review of the literature concerning employers’ perceptions of HEI performance was conducted for the current study. Sources were reviewed and analyzed for reoccurring ideas or themes in the literature. Three themes emerged from the review: (a) the need for work-related skills, (b) the need for internships, and (c) skepticism toward for-profit higher education (FPHE) graduates. Suggestions for future research are offered based on the emergent themes. This study is beneficial to prospective college students, college administrators, employers, and higher education professionals and scholars. 

scholarly journals Academic Librarians and Student Affairs Professionals: An Ethical Collaboration for Higher Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Urbanski Forrest
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
Career Counseling ◽  
Academic Advising ◽  
Student Affairs Professionals ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Collaborative Relationships ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Higher Education Professionals

Librarians’ ethical directives point toward a collaborative effort in providing support for students outside the classroom. Academic librarians often focus on collaborative relationships with teaching faculty at institutions of higher education, but they should also form partnerships with other higher education professionals. Currently, few such partnerships have been reported in the literature. Staff who work in student affairs, including academic advising, career counseling, and other academic support offices would benefit greatly from librarians’ expertise. Specific suggestions for building such collaborations are given, and proposals about future research and possible collaborations are offered. 

scholarly journals Available supports and resources for postsecondary students with traumatic brain injury: A systematic review of the literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Emily Tarconish ◽  
Allison Lombardi ◽  
Joseph Madaus ◽  
Ashley Taconet ◽  
Carl Coelho
Keyword(s):  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Disability Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Postsecondary Students ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Concussion Management ◽  
Rigorous Research

BACKGROUND: Postsecondary students with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a rapidly growing population, encompassing those who sustained injuries prior to attending postsecondary education and those who endure injuries during their postsecondary studies. Not only do these individuals face a broad range of symptoms, all of which can affect academic achievement, but they also do not achieve comparable academic outcomes to their peers without disabilities. OBJECTIVE: There is a need to develop and examine the effectiveness of available supports and resources to meet the needs of these students. METHODS: Twenty-three articles were systematically reviewed to illustrate what supports are currently described in the literature for postsecondary students with TBI and what research methods were used to assess the effectiveness of these supports. RESULTS: Three categories of supports emerged, including concussion management protocols, typical study/learning strategies and accommodations, and interventions developed specifically for this population. Findings also indicated a lack of rigorous research methods used to assess these interventions’ effects. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for future research include a need for additional study of all supports and resources described in this review, and assessment of whether or not education professionals, including postsecondary disability services professionals, are aware of and using the tools and strategies addressed in this review.

scholarly journals Challenges of collaborative education and academic learning in engineering higher education

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 192-202
Author(s):  
Marcelo de Jesus Rodrigues da Nóbrega ◽  
Patrícia Guedes Pimentel ◽  
Flavio Maldonado Bentes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Collaborative Teaching ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Professional Relationship ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Higher Education Professionals ◽  
Collaborative Education ◽  
Everyday Problems ◽  
Education Process

The focus that will be given in this article, is the relevance of collaborative teaching in the academic environment, with emphasis on higher education in engineering, considering the professional relationship between educating agents and students. To assist in the higher education process, the main challenges encountered will also be addressed, as well as to point out possible increasingly necessary solutions. Raising such important educational issues is necessary since the reference of an institution of higher education is based, among other aspects, on the qualifications of the teacher and his professional training, as well as on his ability to deal with everyday problems. Thus, seeking to achieve the proposed objectives, a bibliographic review was carried out on the theme presented and its consequences in relation to higher education, focusing on engineering courses. In addition to defining concepts related to collaborative teaching, this study links the relationships between higher education professionals, to the institution's growth and improvement. Finally, it was possible to verify that some of the problems listed in the present study are related to the way in which education professionals deal with everyday matters.

scholarly journals Virginia Gordon as Servant Leader

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-18
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Higgins ◽  
Susan M. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Advising ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Servant Leader ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Higher Education Professionals ◽  
The Many ◽  
Scholarly Inquiry

Virginia Gordon was a teacher, scholar, practitioner, and leader who also served as a role model and mentor to others. Her insight and research informed the many innovative initiatives she pursued on behalf of the student advising experience. Gordon's scholarly and evidence-based approach set the stage for academic advising as a field of scholarly inquiry and helped shape the growth and direction of the profession. Virginia Gordon's work was other-directed. Her goal was always to support the growth and development of others. This qualitative study tried to capture Gordon as understood by the higher education professionals who knew her, worked with her, and/or studied with her. That she was other-directed supports our view regarding Virginia Gordon as a servant leader.

Twitter Chat as an Informal Learning Tool

2016 ◽  
pp. 1122-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin R. Guidry ◽  
Laura A. Pasquini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Learning Tool ◽  
Student Orientation ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Mediated Discourse ◽  
Higher Education Professionals

This case study focuses on Twitter as an informal learning tool. Specifically, the authors examine user-created Twitter chats using one specific chat, #sachat, as a case study. #sachat is a weekly one-hour chat held on Twitter and populated by higher education professionals in the field of student affairs (e.g. college admissions, advising, housing, new student orientation). The authors contrast this chat with other ways in which student affairs and higher education professionals are using Twitter. Using methods of computer-mediated discourse analysis, they then discover and elicit defining characteristics of #sachat. Finally, the authors offer thoughts on why this chat seems to be successful as an informal learning resource, how it compares to other uses of Twitter by professionals, and implications for other communities interested in using Twitter or similar tools to create informal learning.

Twitter Chat as an Informal Learning Tool

2013 ◽  
pp. 356-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin R. Guidry ◽  
Laura Pasquini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Learning Tool ◽  
Student Orientation ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Mediated Discourse ◽  
Higher Education Professionals

This case study focuses on Twitter as an informal learning tool. Specifically, the authors examine user-created Twitter chats using one specific chat, #sachat, as a case study. #sachat is a weekly one-hour chat held on Twitter and populated by higher education professionals in the field of student affairs (e.g. college admissions, advising, housing, new student orientation). The authors contrast this chat with other ways in which student affairs and higher education professionals are using Twitter. Using methods of computer-mediated discourse analysis, they then discover and elicit defining characteristics of #sachat. Finally, the authors offer thoughts on why this chat seems to be successful as an informal learning resource, how it compares to other uses of Twitter by professionals, and implications for other communities interested in using Twitter or similar tools to create informal learning.

Don't Forget About Us

2021 ◽  
pp. 126-140
Author(s):  
Rayshawn L. Eastman ◽  
April Eddie ◽  
Kelli Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Racial Minority Students ◽  
Diverse Student ◽  
Higher Education Professionals

Through narratives, this chapter explores the perspectives of three higher education professionals who served diverse student bodies during a pandemic. Detailing their experiences, the authors address efforts made to support underrepresented students during a pandemic. The effects of COVID-19 were vast and even more impactful for underrepresented students. The challenges of taking classes during a pandemic, combined with the known social challenges of 2020, made for an unforgettable period of time. This chapter addresses lessons learned, best practices, and suggestions for supporting students during a pandemic. The authors define underrepresented students as first-generation, LGBT+, low-income, and ethnic/racial minority students.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document