Karlberg, Anne Marie. (2007). Assessment in a Tribal College Context: A Case Study of Northwest Indian College
Approximately 32 tribal colleges are located on reservations in
the United States. Their aim is to provide Native American students
with a culturally relevant and meaningful post¬secondary
education. Assessment uses methods of applied research to improve
student learning. The aim of this study is to advance theoretical
and applied knowledge in the field of assessment within tribal
colleges. This undertaking is noteworthy given that tribal
colleges are vital to the development and future of Native
American communities. I use a case study methodology to
examine a specific assessment program that is being
developed at Northwest Indian College (NWIC), a tribal
college in Washington state. In this study, I provide
responses to three research questions: (1) What criteria
are best used to evaluate an assessment program in a tribal
college context? (2) Which elements of the NWIC assessment
program are most and least successful aC(1ording to the
evaluative criteria established in Research Question I?
and (3) What preconditions and other contextual factors
contribute to the relative success or failure of different
elements of the NWIC assessment prognun? I review the history
of Native Amen cans in higher education, provide an overView
and critique of the emerging assessment movement, and discuss
the state of assessment within the tribal college system.
This study demonstrates that assessment can be done in a tribal
college context in a culturally respectful and meaningful way
and provides insights into how this can be approached.
My findings suggest that effective tribal college assessment
programs use three types of information to assess student
learning - direct indicators, indirect indicators, and
institutional and community data - and assess each of these
at the tribal community, college, program, and course levels.
It is equally important to pay attention to the inputs into
the assessment program (i.e., plans and resources) and how
the assessment program is carried out. Furthermore, the
intention of the assessment program is to impact the
college's context. Articulating and revisiting the tribal
college's mission - with its focus on the self-determination
of Native peoples - is a critical initial step in the
development of assessment programs that should be I';
Delgatty, Elinor. (2006). The Integration of Information Technology and Academic Advising: A Canadain Study
The purpose of this study is to identify key technologies in use
within academic advising and student services and to investigate
the impact that infonnation technology is having on the delivery
of academic advising services and the development of advising
theory in Canadian universities. Information technology may include
email, information based web-sites, electronic degree audit, internet
based web-advising, student information databases and other user
specific interfaces. The premise for this study is that the use of
technology in academic advising is increasing and is having an impact
on the delivery of advising services by reducing the manual burden of
information integration and dissemination, and enabling academic
advisors to focus developmentally and holistically, focusing on
the growth and improvement of students academically and personally.
As a professional Academic Advisor my search of literature on
infonnation technology and academic advising revealed an absence of
qualltative and quantitative information about the use of academic
advising technology and its impact on the delivery of advising
services. This study was conducted using a mixed model survey of
professional academic advisors and advising administrators in Canada's
public four year English language research universities. Data analysis
showed that while technology use is widespread within Canadian advising
centres, that the goals, use and perceptions of technology vary.
Many functions which could (and should) be managed efficiently by
technology are still being performed manually and the implementation
of information technology is not being done in coordination with
an institutional retention plan or advising model in mind.
Adamuti-Trache, Maria. (2003). Post-Secondary Paths in
Science for B.C. Young Women and Men.
The
purpose of this thesis is to identify typical patterns of
career destinations for young women and men in relation to
their high school science preparedness. This is an empirical
structural study that documents the way high school academic
capital is turned (or not) into human capital for science
and engineering professions. The study uses ten years of longitudinal
data on educational and career paths of British Columbia high
school graduates of the Class of '88.
Correspondence
analysis and other descriptive statistics provide a picture
of students' participation in mathematics and science senior
high school courses and post-secondary academic programs.
School course choices, post-secondary educational attainment,
specialization fields are correlated to respondents' high
school science preparedness, parental education and gender.
A major finding of this study is that high school science
preparedness opens greater opportunity for students to attend
and succeed along a broad range of post-secondary pathways.
Still, thesis findings confirm the existence of a "leaking"
phenomenon along the physical sciences and engineering post-secondary
pipeline, especially for women as well as men with non-university
educated parents. Equity in access and outcomes is discussed
in relation to respondents' possession of cultural and academic
capital, and in relation to gender inequality that persists
within school and post-secondary institutions, the science
community and society at large. Implications for further research
emerge from the literature review and the interpretation of
thesis findings. Longitudinal research needs to explore more
directly the reasons why many young women and men who excelled
in science at the high school level depart from the science
pipeline sooner or later. A major conclusion is that the "critical
mass" approach that directs attention toward creating
a large supply pool to feed the science pipeline by encouraging
more young women to enter the field of science is still a
unilateral numerical strategy, and more has to be done to
improve the retention and advancement of talented women interested
in science. This thesis reinforces the need for an analysis
of the culture of the science community and a revision of
the leaking science pipeline concept that should be replaced
by a more open non-linear model of science careers.
Kirkptrick,
Edith. (2003) "Plus C'est La Meme Chose": University
Faculty's Perceptions of Learning Technoogies.
The
purpose of this research was to investigate faculty members'
perceptions of and experience with using beaming technologies
in their teaching. A literature review indicated that a diffusion
of innovation model was an appropriate framework for the analysis
of the data, as it invites analysis of a variety of factors
that contribute to or detract from adoption of an innovation.
The study invited participation from a group of faculty members
whose research interests are diverse. Twenty semi-structured
interviews and subsequent analysis revealed that (a) most
faculty members are already making significant use of technology
in their communications with students and colleagues, (b)
learning technology makes possible educational projects that
were not possible before, (c) using beaming technology in
teaching requires reconceptualizing the instructor's role,
(d) funding structures, support structures, and workload issues
are key and significant disincentives for faculty members
in adopting and using beaming technologies. The results of
this study have implications for resource allocation and faculty
development planning.
Warick,
Ruth. (2003) Unheard Voices: The Academic and Social Experiences
of University Students Who are Hard of Hearing
The
nature of the university experiences of students who are hard
of hearing and the impact of students' hearing losses on their
experiences were the foci of the present research. To date,
there have been few studies capturing the voices of students
who are hard of hearing. Descriptive categories from Tinto's
retention model (1987) provided a theoretical framework for
the study, along with the use of the agency-structure nexus
(Andres, Andruske & Hawkey, 1996), which focuses on the
dynamics between an agent and the environment. Research questions
were formulated about students' academic, social, transition,
and disability service experiences in university, as well
as their identity construction. This study also considered
the impact of students' hearing losses on their university
experiences, the extent to which students' experiences compared
to other students, and the relevancy of Tinto's retention
model in capturing their disability dimensions.
An
interpretive research methodology was adopted because it emphasizes
the importance of individuals' experiences as perceived by
the participants themselves (Marshall & Rossman, 1999;
Smith, 1989). Fourteen university students from three urban
universities shared their experiences in interviews, and 11
of them maintained a journal for a three-week period. Interviews
were conducted twice with each student.
A
key finding from the study is that students who are hard of
hearing are similar to other students in many respects: social
patterns, discipline-related differences, and transition experiences.
Nonetheless, they have different experiences because they
do not always hear. They make academic choices based on having
hearing losses such as class choice, seating position in a
classroom, and courseload. They are often "visitors"
to the classroom because of participation barriers. The visitor
analogy also applies in social situations where participation
is frequently challenged by the environment and the dynamics
of social engagement. Disability-related accommodations helped
many of the students to function better in academic and social
situations, but did not eliminate all of their disadvantages.
The
identity construction of students was complex. Students strove
to be part of the hearing world and, therefore, to function
like other students; at the same time, they encountered differences
because of their hearing losses. Hearing loss was found to
constitute elements of habitus, defined by Bourdieu (1977)
as a way of being, because of its pervasive impact, and, at
the same time, it was not the only force in students' lives.
Because
of their identity construction, students who are hard of hearing
are predisposed to "fit" into the norms and expectations
of universities, and, at the same time, institutions are disposed
to have students adapt in this manner. Yet, this study also
showed that there was capacity for change when crisis situations
arose. These findings supported the adoption of the agency-structure
nexus in the analysis of students' university experiences,
using the descriptive categories from Tinto's retention model
to explore these experiences. As well, findings lend support
to adding disability-related components to Tinto's model.
Recommendations
for practice arising from this study called for a greater
emphasis on the classroom participation of students who are
hard of hearing, increased disability training for instructors,
more support for disability service offices, new hearing technology,
better classroom acoustics, and mentoring programs.
Retelle,
Ellen. (2003) Understanding the Dynamics of the Transition
to the Elementary Vice-Principalship
This
study focused on how first-year elementary vice-principals
understood the dynamics of school leadership and administration
from a micropolitical perspective in schools that supported
shared decision-making between administrators and teachers.
The research focused on the tasks and responsibilities of
vice-principals and the relationships of the vice-principals
with the school principals and the teaching staff. Furthermore,
the study focused on how vice-principals and teachers exercised
power in schools. A multiple case study approach was utilized.
It consisted of observing three first-year elementary vice-principals
in their schools for one school year. The schools were in
one district. Data collection strategies included interviews,
direct observations, participant observations, and document
analysis. The vice-principals were observed one day per week
for four to seven hours during most visits. Participant observations
included interactions of the vice-principals with the principal,
teachers, students, and school support staff. The vice-principals
participated in four formal interviews and engaged in informal
conversations with the researcher during the school visitations.
School principals, teachers, other first-year vice-principals,
two assistant superintendents, and the coordinator of the
leadership program were interviewed. Administrator and teacher
contracts, accreditation reports, faculty meeting minutes,
district handbooks, and policy manuals provided background
information for this study.
The
study generated several key findings about how vice-principals
understand the dynamics of school leadership and administration:
(a) vice-principals who were enrolling teachers (classroom
teachers) faced more challenges and demands than those who
were not enrolling teachers; (b) vice-principals received
little training or mentoring during their first year; (c)
vice-principals were expected to learn about administration
through their experiences and by making mistakes; (d) vice-principals
had few opportunities to engage in critical conversations
and analyze their role as novice school leaders and administrators;
(e) the vice-principals' relationships with teachers and principals
changed when they became administrators; (f) teachers and
administrators used different types of power to affect the
actions of others; and (g) the vice-principals grappled with
using positional authority, facilitative power, coercive power,
and influence in their relationships with the teachers.
Based
on these findings, five general recommendations are suggested.
First, the teaching workload of enrolling vice-principals
needs to be reduced. They are overwhelmed and stressed with
their dual roles of administrative and teaching responsibilities;
consequently, the learning of their students in their classrooms
suffers. Second, vice-principals need systematic training
and information on the skills, functions, and knowledge necessary
to perform their jobs. Third, the vice-principals need to
be mentored, receive feedback, and engage in critical conversations
about their roles as school leaders; this needs to occur in
supportive environments. The provincial administrators' association
could coordinator the mentor program. Fourth, it is problematic
for principals to mentor the vice-principals because they
supervise and evaluate the vice-principals. Fifth, the vice-principals
need to understand the processes of successful shared decision-making.
Last, vice-principals need to understand when and how to use
the different types of powers that they possess as administrators.
Lyakhovetska,
Regina. (2003) Welcome to Canada? Experiences and Views
of Internationnal Graduate Students at the University
of British Columbia
There
is a significant body of research literature on problems of
adaptation of international students, but there is a general
scarcity of research on issues related to international students
and internationalization of higher education. This qualitative
study was designed to examine the experiences of international
graduate students with respect to their academic and social
life, finances and employment as well as experiences with
the student services and perceptions of inclusion in campus
community. Their views about internationalization at UBC were
also examined. Ten students from nine different countries
studying in one department at the Faculty of Education participated.
Individual in-depth interviews and a focus group were conducted.
The
study has revealed that experiences of international students
are as diverse as their backgrounds. Three participants studying
at a PhD level were consistently satisfied with all aspects
of their experiences. They were active in class discussions;
they attended and presented in seminars and conferences. They
had scholarships or sufficient family savings or secure on-campus
assistantships. They felt included in the campus community
and found the community at the department very welcoming.
In contrast, Masters students from non-English speaking countries
have found it challenging to survive and progress at university.
Few were active in classroom discussions, extra-curricular
academic and social activities. None reported having developed
more than one or two meaningful contacts with Canadian classmates
and faculty throughout their studies. They did not feel included
in the department community or felt neither excluded nor included.
They talked about feeling strangers and outsiders. Few used
student services. They reported significant challenges in
finding on-campus jobs. However, they developed many connections
with other international students. Several of them volunteered
to help other international students feel welcome. Although
these students reported having struggled a lot, they also
learned a lot from their experiences and became more independent,
more outspoken and more proactive. Participants agreed that
international students should be more active in sharing their
backgrounds and participating in campus activities, but they
needed the university to reach out for them as well and make
them feel an important part of campus. The majority of them
believed that international students were bringing a variety
of benefits to teaching, learning and research. They listed
Canadian students, faculty members, other international students
and the university as a whole among the main beneficiaries.
Based
on the findings above, the following areas were identified
where the majority of participants felt their needs were not
fully met and improvements would enable them to have better
educational and social experiences. These areas included academic
programming, social interaction, community sensitivity, support
services, institutional and government policies, and the role
of international students in internationalization. This study
recommends enhanced efforts by a host university and its community
to integrate international students in and outside the classroom.
It also calls for greater attention to provision of language
training, curriculum internationalization, and easing of institutional
and government policies restricting financial aid and employment
opportunities for international students. Successful interaction
and collaboration between international students and host
universities will advance the process of university internationalization.
Thompson,
Donna Jean McGee. (2002) A Tunnel of Hope: The Experiences
of Student-Mothers in a Community College Based Developmental
Studies Program
The purpose of this research was to investigate the experiences
of mothers of young children attending a community college-based
Developmental Education (DVST) program. A literature review
indicated three general notions: 1) mothering in North America
today is all-consuming and associated with numerous contradictions
and difficulties, 2) student mothers in a variety of post-secondary
contexts face difficulties participating, and 3) some DVST
students may experience some level of "culture shock"
upon entering post-secondary education. Participants were
eight women enrolled in the program while assuming the primary
live-in parenting responsibility for at least one child under
thirteen. Semi-structured interviews and subsequent analysis
of interview transcripts revealed six themes. Participation
in the DVST program as a student-mother (1) signifies a major
life turning point, (2) is a positive experience, (3) involves
adapting to new time pressures, (4) involves redeeming roles
in relationships with children and other family members, which
can lead to feelings of guilt, (5) is vulnerable to childcare
and financial crises, and (6) is best supported by services
related to childcare, financial assistance, and connections
with women in like circumstances. The results of this study
have implications for daycare policy, career counselling,
centralized services for student-mothers receiving income
assistance, support networks, and DVST instructors' role in
establishing linkages between student-mothers and the college
community.
Liversidge,
Sharon Elaine. (2000) A Matter of Time: The Lived Experience
of Re/Entering Mothers in Nursing Education.
This
study explored the lived experience of re/entering mothers
who were entering baccalaureate nursing education for their
first registered nursing credential. These re/entering women
were either re-entering higher education or entering for the
first time. The participants in this study were mothers of
I to 3 children. In-depth personal interviews and a focus
group session were conducted with 5 re/entering mothers aged
28 - 45 years who were enrolled in the second year of nursing
education in a community college setting. Analysis revealed
five major themes that were incorporated into a narrative
that reflected their lived experience as a multiple role learner
in nursing education: time as a scarce resource, a personal
need to achieve, feelings of guilt related to not "being
there" for their children, re/entering women as the family
organizer and their positive perception of their multiple
role status. The voices of these women are heard in their
stories that are interwoven throughout the narrative. The
findings from this study suggest ways in which institutions
of higher education might assist and support re/entering mothers
and recommend this group of women as a target population for
recruitment into nursing.
Hawkey,
Colleen. (2000) Patterns of Participation, Modes of Exclusion:
Undergraduate Students' Experiences of Community at a
Research-Intensive University.
Utilizing
three different perspectives (ideal/actual, constitutive,
individualistic), this study explored the meaning and boundaries
of community for undergraduate students attending a research-intensive
university. In-depth interviews were conducted with
23 third year Psychology students pursuing either a Bachelor
of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree and a survey designed
to explore key aspects of interviewees' experiences was administered
to a larger cohort of 3rd year Psychology students.
The exploration of the meaning of community from an ideal/actual
perspective revealed an absence of the language of community
considered important to students. From the constitutive
perspective, "defining differences," competency
development, and undergoing a process of "refocusing"
were key aspects of socialization that shaped student-student
and student-faculty interaction within the disciplinary community
and were steps that facilitated being "let in" to
the disciplinary community. In addition to focusing
on the capacity of the community to meet members' needs, the
individualistic perspective highlighted the remunerative aspects
of involvement and individual investment within the community.
Research in a variety of forms was identified as a key mechanism
mediating member status and interaction. Taken together,
the three perspective document the significant influences
of disciplinary affiliation on community membership and belonging
and reveal that membership and belonging were longitudinal
processes entailing complex patterns of participation and
modes of exclusion influenced by students' aspirations and
obligations as well as structural characteristics of the psychology
department and the university. Implications of findings
for theory, practice and future research are discussed.
Warick,
Ruth P. University Experiences of Students
with Hearing Loss
This
interpretive research study focuses on the experiences of
hard of hearing students at B.C. universities and endeavours
to examine how hearing loss affects the academic and social
dimensions of post-secondary life. This study examines
the nature and extent to which disability-related supports
contribute to a student's university process. The findings
of this research will be used to revise existing models of
retention and recommendations for the improvement of disabled
students' experiences will be offered.
Radcliffe,
Julie. (1998). "Over Educated, but Underskilled":
Views on Applied and Liberal Education by Young Adults
in British Columbia. Unpublished graduating paper,
University of British Columbia.
Since
the mid-1980s, policy documents have placed increasing emphasis
on applied and vocational education at the post-secondary
level. This paper considers whether this increased emphasis
on work-oriented courses concurs with the views of young people
in British Columbia. The views of young people are reflected
in questionnaire responses received as part of the Paths
on Life’s Way Project -- a ten year longitudinal
study of the lives and experiences of young adults in British
Columbia. This study included three questionnaires, each of
which contained specific questions on a range of subjects
concerning attitudes to post-secondary education and also
a final open-ended question inviting respondents to add any
other comments. The responses to these open-ended questions
were analysed using current policy documents as a guide to
prevailing issues and concerns. It was found that, although
attitudes of young people changed over time, there was a continuing
demand for more work-experience programs and courses involving
"employability skills." Based on these findings,
implications and recommendations for post-secondary institutions,
students, and policy makers are offered.
Trigg,
Wendy. (1997). Academic Advising for Arts Undergraduate
Students at English-speaking Canadian Public Universities:
The Advisors’ Story. Unpublished M.A. thesis, University
of British Columbia
This
is the first Canadian study to determine current academic
advising procedures and practice for undergraduate students
in the Faculty of Arts English-speaking Canadian public universities
and to determine Arts advisors’ perceptions of the impact
of academic advising on student development and retention.
A questionnaire was mailed to 82 academic advisors at 41 English
public universities across Canada. Responses received represented
73% of eligible universities. Personal interviews followed
with nine volunteers. Results showed that academic advising
practice is not guided by formal policy that links the service
to university and faculty goals. Instead, advising is evolving
in response to the call for university accountability. Advising
practices appear to be changing to meet the expectations and
demands from students that their undergraduate experience
facilitates the achievement of academic goals in association
with career goals and other personal goals. Despite the lack
of guiding policy on Arts academic advising, there is considerable
amount of consistency in current practice across Canada. Advising
is primarily a Faculty responsibility. However, the responsibility
for delivering general academic advice has largely shifted
from professors to professional advisors. Advisors have a
broad range of responsibilities and extensive decision-making
authority, especially in the areas of program planning with
students, and in interpreting and applying policies and procedures.
The hours that students can gain access to advising differs
among Arts advising units. However, the methods of delivering
advice are similar. In all advising units the student to advisor
ratio is extremely high. Most units are responsible for providing
the service to thousands of students. Arts advisors are also
extensively involved a variety of outreach and liaison activities
directed at potential and current students and the broader
university community and the public. Arts academic advisors
believe that advising improves student persistence to degree
completion and hence also improves university retention rates.
At the same time, some advisors perceive that central administration
does not recognize the importance of the service and that
this lack of recognition combined with heavy advising loads,
complex policy and program regulations, and shrinking resources
affects the quality of academic advising. Despite the difficulties
mentioned by advisors, many advising units have initiatives
in place to expand their academic advising service through
joint strategies with other student services that will link
students’ short-term and long-term academic, career and
life plans. The study concludes with recommendations on developing
academic policy and programs, as well providing suggestions
for further research.
Taylor,
Lesley. (1997). Learning through Participation: Organizational
Change and Transformative Learning. Unpublished graduating
paper, University of British Columbia.
This
paper focuses on organizational change, organizational design
and organizational learning. Learning occurs in all orgnanizations.
Some organizations, however, are designed to support the integration
of work and learning by creating structures and operating
procedures that encourage participation. For most of this
century Frederick Taylor’s theory of scientific management
has had a strong influence on how organizations are designed
and operated. Taylor’s theory has been so successful,
in fact, that it has influenced not only organizational design
and management practices but approaches to organizational
learning as well. As the needs of the organization change
a new model of learning and development is required. It is
for this reason that the concept of the learning organization
is growing in popularity in a world in which knowledge and
skills are seen as the "number one" factor in ensuring
individual and organizational survivial. This concept is difficult
to operationalize and requires a willingness to experiment
with new models of organizational learning. The framework
brought forward in this paper is based on Jack Mezirow’s
theory of transformative learning and recognizes the importance
of learning in three domains: the instrumental, the communicative,
and the transformative.
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