In this dissertation, the researcher investigated the level of alignment between the content of required church music courses for the Bachelor of Arts in Church Music (BACM) or its equivalent at institutions of higher education in the conservative holiness movement (CHM) and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) that…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the alignment of teacher preparation program courses on effectively teaching early literacy skills to best practices in foundational literacy instruction. This study identified current best practices for instruction on foundational literacy skills and compared course syllabi provided by…

The purpose of this interpretive case study was to investigate how several community colleges work with local industry partners to create market alignment and uncover the social outcomes within their communities. Most studies within labor market alignment focus on the economic outcomes, but this study sought to review the social outcomes. This…

To meet an increasingly complex set of global challenges, undergraduate programs need innovative, well aligned curricula that prepare students to effectively address those challenges. This is especially true in programs such as sustainable food systems education (SFSE) where students learn to think systemically, critically, and reflectively, and…

This dissertation conducts an evaluative case study on a community college's Career-Technical Education (CTE) Cultural Resource Management (CRM) technical certificate program to bridge the CRM workforce gap. The study assesses the program's design and development quality by aligning the program theory with stakeholders' needs, including…

Originating in the 1970s, Competency-Based Education (CBE) deviated from traditional time-based benchmarks, emphasizing mastery of specific skills and competencies. Its initial adoption is mainly attributed to a response to a more traditional educational system that was heavily reliant on time-based (credit hour) benchmarks of success to indicate…

The purpose of this qualitative document review study is to investigate the potential gaps between which skills and competencies students are learning in associate degree accounting programs at community colleges in the Minnesota State College system and what employers are seeking in entry-level accounting position applicants in Minnesota. For the…

In 2022, just over half of higher education institutions surveyed by the American Council on Education (ACE) reported having a Senior International Officer (SIO), described as an administrator who manages overall internationalization activities. The SIO, along with the president of an institution, has been identified as the most important catalyst…

The purpose of this study is to explore special education teacher and teacher educator perceptions of the Standard Outcome Lesson and Reflection (SOLAR) Guide. Even though research shows that special education teachers need the skill of curriculum mapping in their roles in the classroom, a dearth of research has identified effective ways to help…

Statistics & data science are growing, rapidly evolving, and increasingly important for an informed citizenry in a data-saturated world. In this dissertation, I address two central questions: (1) who is taking statistics? and (2) what are statistics courses teaching? I estimate that 920,000 US students take statistics in high school each year,…

Academic freedom is an important principle in higher education. This is no less true for religious higher education than public higher education. There exists, however, a tension between academic freedom and theological commitments in religious higher education. This dissertation presents findings from a comparative case study between a church…

This dissertation presents an applied research study focused on improving ACT mathematics scores in a rural Mississippi independent school. The study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of increased mathematics instructional time and curriculum mapping on improving the percentage of students meeting the College Readiness Benchmark scores on…

Guided pathways is a nationwide whole-college reform that aims to improve college completion rates and times for students, especially in the community college sector. This multisite case study sought to explore how pathways institutions supported students to better align with the right academic and career programs. Through individual…

This transcendental phenomenology study was designed to examine the phenomena of the paid internship portion of the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program (NCPFP) through specific graduates of the universities that offer the scholarship. The study aimed to answer the following research question: How does the paid internship experience from the…

The purpose of this study was to understand the current reality of multilingual learner supports in schools in Greater Minnesota and align that current reality with the Minnesota Learning English for Academic Proficiency and Success (LEAPS) Act in order to make recommendations at the local level and advocate at a greater scale. This was an…