This dissertation is positioned as asynchronous educator professional development and is designed and written to be an "experience" (spotlighting the rhetorical potentials of text-based asynchronous engagement). It attempts to call attention to, through its design, the very things it discusses. In this way, this dissertation is…

Apprenticeship programs in North Carolina act as a crucial talent pipeline and economic development solution. These registered apprenticeships have also been proven to address many workforce challenges directly by matching well-trained, highly skilled, invested jobseekers to organizations choosing apprenticeship as an economic solution. Despite…

Overlapping and entangled crises that comprise and propel society require near constant (re)orientation in order to understand, explain, and address the workings of a multiplicitous world. For those invested in education, this means confronting complexity through the prism of teaching and learning. Educational scholars across fields and…

This study investigated the nature of transformative learning experiences as qualitative shifts in identity by employing a basic interpretative qualitative methodology using data from semi-structured interviews with eight participants in a re-entry job skills program, that is, with participants in a program that was designed to aid them with their…

This non-experimental causal-comparative study aims to explore the possible effect of expertise on learning experience design (LXD) deviation identification and the classification of these deviations in alignment with provided learning experience design constructs within a learning technology. Additionally, this study challenges Nielsen's (1993)…

This study focused on the impact of socioeconomic status through the experiences of telecommute workers from a healthcare insurance provider. The aim of the study is to analyze the influence these factors impose on personal growth in the job role of a telecommuting worker through the eyes of Texas telecommute workers in the healthcare industry.…

This dissertation explores the lived experience of transformation in mentor-coaches trained and certified through the Center for Mentoring, Coaching, and Leadership Development (CMCLD). The CMCLD describes its training as a transformational process in which mentor-coaches adopt a listening mindset that becomes a lifestyle change. This dissertation…

Many U.S. higher education institutions invest significantly in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ)-oriented professional development (PD) to help faculty develop knowledge and skills for serving diverse student populations. However, evidence is mixed regarding the effectiveness of DEIJ PD in helping institutions make progress on…

This dissertation explores the experiences of adult English as a Second Language (ESL) learners in an Adult Basic Education (ABE) program. ABE/ESL learners are a unique but integral population within the language learning community and are largely excluded from the scholarly discourse. Research in the context of language learning and instruction…

The purpose of this study was to use a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology to understand the learning experiences of trainers who completed a professional development trainer certification. Specifically, this study explored how trainers described their learning experiences, the catalysts trainers identified as instrumental to their…

This study investigates the neurocognitive underpinnings of early language learning in adults and examines the modulating effects of individual differences in prior bilingual experience and cognitive capabilities. This study used a pre/post short-term longitudinal design with a 10-day Dutch language training via Rosetta Stone. Event-Related…

This qualitative descriptive case study documents the experiences of culinary instructors furthering their learning of emotional intelligence fundamentals. Research participants included a total of 6 participants. The study was implemented as a collaborative inquiry project and was guided by the experiential learning cycle. The research questions…

Online learning has become popular for corporations to train their professionals and has increased in usage since COVID-19. Online learning enables learners to take courses alone via self-directed learning, with other students in a synchronous environment, or via a blended combination of self-directed and instructor-led learning. Multiple trending…

The problem addressed in this study was the lack of consistency among United States (U.S.) Army instructors' support for students with low self-efficacy in a U.S. Army online blended learning course, which has a negative impact on deep learning. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to gain a better understanding of the…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine and understand educators' perceptions of the community support offered to kindergarten students and their families by the partnership between the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Robert B. Daugherty Education Center and Bancroft Elementary. These educators included those teaching or leading…