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…

Social media as a medium to facilitate and foster learning and engagement in education has received increased attention in recent years. Researchers have highlighted the affordances and drawbacks of social media use in educational contexts. There is a gap in the relevant literature on the social media learning and engagement experiences of…

Research indicates that institutions and teachers' pedagogical and content knowledge are essential to student learning and achievement. Nevertheless, teachers' knowledge and practices have been researched primarily in K-12th grades. Therefore, there is a gap in understanding teaching practices in higher education. Moreover, research has forgotten…

There is growing consensus that data-informed decision-making through human-centered inquiry and design process results in improved outcomes for designed artifacts. Among the latest trends is a group of tools and processes loosely assimilated under the umbrella term, "design thinking." These "designerly ways of knowing" are…

The benefits of learning across in-school and out-of-school contexts have been widely documented in educational research literature. Much of this research focuses on P-12 learners engaged in loosely-connected learning experiences across in-school and out-of-school settings. What has been less explored are the affordances and constraints of more…

Collaborative learning is acknowledged as an important skill in both higher education and modern society. However, there are many challenges when designing and implementing collaborative learning and many studies report that college students are often frustrated when placed in such situations. Despite the fact that the literature has a wide range…

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the general studies program at Dallas Baptist University (DBU) for its effectiveness in developing undergraduate students for life and leadership in the 21st century. Researchers and practitioners in the higher education sector have pointed to massive disruptions in life and work caused by…