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ERIC Number: ED655105
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 202
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-6985-9870-1
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Being Seen from behind the Screen: Narratives of Non-Traditional Undergraduate Online Transfer Students' Expectations and Experiences of Student Services
LaShica Davis Waters
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, North Carolina State University
Non-traditional undergraduate students have vast experiences and unique learning characteristics, and they hold the expectation that student services should be provided to accommodate their needs when they transfer into online programs. Many services that are available for traditional-aged campus students may not be easy to navigate online, which can lead to student attrition or negative perceptions of the overall student educational experience and the institution. This narrative qualitative study highlighted the voices of seven non-traditional students who transferred into the only undergraduate online degree-completion program at a research 1 institution that typically caters services to traditional-aged campus-based students. Three research questions guided this study exploring students' expectations and experiences of student services and students' overall perception of their collegiate experience based on their interactions with student services. The primary data collection method utilized was in-depth semi structured interviews and the analysis and interpretation of findings were organized using Polkinghorne's (1995) two types of narrative inquiry: narrative of analysis and analysis of narratives. This research revealed three emergent themes of the participants' expectations and experiences (1) access (2) engagement, and (3) inclusion. The fourth theme, pride, revealed how students' access, engagement, and inclusion with student services influenced their overall perception of the institution and their educational experience. Using Burgoon's (1995) expectancy violations theory, two sub-themes: (1) disconnections and (2) connections also emerged as negative and positive experiences from the second theme of engagement. Participants had an overall positive experience with student services at this research 1 institution; therefore, recommendations are offered for administrators, faculty, and student service professionals at other institutions to consider when making provisions for undergraduate non-traditional online transfer students to provide this population with appropriate resources and experiences. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A