A state college in the mid-Atlantic United States requires a music theory course for 4 of its undergraduate music programs. In the 6 years prior to this study, students had difficulty with the course, with many failing or withdrawing. Tinto's theory of student retention served as the foundation of the conceptual framework for this study, the…

Evaluators play a central role in assessments of researchers' performance for reward, but the nature of their role and influence is not well understood. Ongoing reliance on evaluator judgement is typically justified as a need for referees in contests for reward, because quantitative performance measures alone can be subject to distortion. Yet, if…

Using Foucault's power concepts of the panopticon and governmentality as analytic and heuristic tools, this study reveals insights into how accreditation creates power networks in the quality assurance of higher education graduates in South Africa. The study draws on 11 in-depth interviews with academics from the Faculty of Engineering at a…

The increased attention to student learning outcomes, student success and graduation rates continues to intensify as the demands from parents, students and government agencies on colleges and universities for accountability continues to build. Since the 1980's there has been a plethora of research on the topic of attrition, retention, student…

With billions of dollars being spent annually on training and a low return on investment for training being achieved, it was imperative to understand the role of supervisors and how they influenced training transfer. The specific problem was that no research had examined the hierarchical role of supervisors of faculty in the college and university…

This qualitative case study was designed to investigate mentors and mentees and their relationships in a formal group-mentoring program. Results and findings were expected to contribute to the literature on how to best support future new faculty and senior faculty careers by providing data on the opinions of those who participated in the mentoring…

This paper reports on a study conducted as part of an action-research project--INTEGRA I&E--aiming to promote the research and teaching (R&T) nexus at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities of a Research University in Lisbon, Portugal (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, ISCTE-IUL). This study set out to investigate a multi-informant…

In 2010, a mandatory teacher training course was introduced for new vocational college teachers in Denmark. Since then, all vocational teachers have to complete the same course, regardless of practical work experience and educational background. After completion, they apply the knowledge to a very specific practice (i.e., teaching within a…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how faculty experience the transition from Blackboard to Canvas LMS and which LMS is preferred. The general problem addressed in this study was that California Community College students' success and retention in online courses was 7-10% lower than in face-to-face courses. To try to…

The problem targeted by this study is the widening imbalance between admissions and graduation rates occurring at many long-standing institutions of higher education. This study applied the theory of disruptive innovation to gain insight into the policies, procedures, beliefs, and perspectives of how a single college that was established in the…

This intrinsic case study explored organizational readiness to implement a campus-wide technology initiative. Specifically, this research examined a rural community college's implementation of an "iPad campus" initiative in which all students, faculty, and staff were required to adopt iPad technology. We apply a heuristic for…

Inquiry learning provides the opportunity to develop an improved understanding of concepts being taught to students. It is a useful way of learning which enhances interest and motivation by providing the opportunity to access and manipulate information in a tactical and strategic ways. Web 2.0 technology platforms serve as medium for inquiry…

The development of educational technology has provided platforms for undergraduate music courses to take place in an online environment. While technology is available, this does not mean that all teaching staff are ready for the pedagogical change required to implement teaching online. A transformation of pedagogical practice (that is, to online…

The increase of enrollment in dual credit courses in high schools is staggering and traditional methods of delivering dual credit stop short of meeting the demand. In one newer model, college professors teach dual credit courses on high school campuses. However, little is known about how the uniqueness of the high school setting informs the…

Change initiatives in higher education are frequently guided by an institutional change management program which provides employees with a framework and set of skills to better understand problems and facilitate change at the organisational level. In this paper, we explore employee perceptions of Six Sigma as a tool for facilitating change at one…