Participatory Design is a design method that includes the end users in technology design. While there are studies that examine the implementation of PD methods in both Library and Information Science and Human Computer Interaction research, existing studies lack an examination of how participant groups are created and maintained. This study…

This dissertation examines how modernity sets conditions within higher education and how those conditions impact writing-related transfer. I draw on research into modernity and higher education; narratives of teaching writing; and a qualitative research project with student-athletes, student-non-athletes, and writing tutors to explore how…

Despite advancements in construction and construction-related technology, capital project performance deviations, typically overruns, remain endemic within the capital projects industry. Currently, management is generally unaware of the current status of their projects, and thus monitoring and control of projects are not achieved effectively. In…

The U.S. Department of State's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and the Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 set the guidelines that colleges and universities are required to follow for reporting sexual assault in order to receive federal financial assistance. A university's Title IX compliance office offers a safe place for students to…

This dissertation provides insights into the potential for the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) and a complementary instructional model, transdisciplinary STEM, to advance constructivist approaches to high-quality education by providing a framework and pedagogical model that authentically communicate these principles for…

This research project seeks to discover the reasons behind the underrepresentation of African American women (AAW) in higher education, particularly in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics fields. Why is there underrepresentation of AAW in the STEM fields? Research evidence has demonstrated that AAW face social disparities such as…

The study reported in this dissertation is a response to the call for school science argumentation interventions to shift from a focus on argument framework towards epistemic criteria valued by the scientific community, and to focus on the practice of critiquing in addition to constructing arguments, as both practices are part of scientific…

This study examines the student writer perspective of a first-year composition program's student learning outcomes. Student descriptions of learning are a valuable, yet often overlooked data source. The student voice broadens a first-year composition program's outcomes-based, student learning assessment process as program assessment data is often…

With few exceptions, digital humanities projects and objects have been described rather than studied. This dissertation attempts to advance that discourse by empirically studying, from a sociotechnical point of view, DH projects and the products they produce, specifically those within the realm of Old and Middle English language and literature.…

Competency-based education (CBE) has become well-accepted as a powerful way to personalize learning. Today's advanced technologies have enhanced CBE even further. Practitioners in the field are seeking means to take advantage of technology to increase CBE's effectiveness and efficiency, especially for adult learners. Microlearning and digital open…

This thesis describes how research experiences help develop the science identity of burgeoning scientists through the building of confidence and networks of support. These research experiences, even at the undergraduate level, can impact research participants' decisions to pursue science and research careers, including faculty. My research…

Despite efforts to improve retention and degree completion rates, American higher education suffers from a persistent social-class achievement gap (Stephens, Hamedani, and Destin, 2014). This gap is often explored quantitatively through the examination of academic outcomes of first-generation college students (i.e. students who parents have not…

This research was carried out within a qualitative research paradigm. The objective was to observe, analyze and enrich pedagogical practice through the use of pedagogical learning strategies. The learning strategy was a participative and individualized lab carried out during a research project in a non-Traditional Laboratory (LnT). The primary aim…

The U.S. government, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), makes significant investments in the upcoming generation of scientists and researchers through undergraduate research programs (UR) and internships. These programs are thought to motivate students to finish STEM degrees and provide authentic training under the mentorship of…

"Teaching Spiritual Themes to African American Children: A Picture Book Approach" is a research project that used picture books to teach the four spiritual themes, 1.) love, 2.) forgiveness, 3.) kindness, and 4.) perseverance. This project was conducted in an after school program at Fifth Baptist Church, on Cary St. in Richmond, VA. The…