The content of a humanities course allows students to understand other philosophies, cultures, and values different from their own. The problem is that although the literature indicates the many benefits of completing a humanities course, the prioritization of academic performance in core courses such as reading, math, and science, coupled with…

This phenomenological study sought to explore the racialized educational experiences of graduate students of color (GSOC) seeking degrees in humanities disciplines. While some research studies have focused on minority graduate student experiences, there has been less focus on minority graduate student experiences in the humanities. Utilizing…

In an era of governmentally controlled education systems sustained through performance-based funding metrics, the value of higher education is often considered justified by socioeconomic impact and degree employability. Although modern academia traces its roots to the humanities and liberal arts for its foundation, degrees without direct job…

In academia, there remains a broad cultural divide between STEM and the humanities that was identified over half a century ago by C.P. Snow. However, the nature of this divide has changed in recent years as a scientific tool, the digital computer, has become ubiquitous in daily life. The humanities must now contend with how to account for this…

This qualitative research used the tenants of phenomenological research to structure a study that begins to identify faculty coordinator's decision processes in selecting a general education mathematics course. In this study, I examined the question if a faculty member's experiences or beliefs had any influence on the decision process. The…

What is the value of code in the humanities class, and what does it do for a humanities education? To what degree does code help us think about and compose texts, and to what degree can we engage with it as a text itself? Guided by these framing questions, this dissertation lies at the nexus of digital humanities; rhetoric, writing, and…

Although virtual reality (VR) is commonly used in science classes, for example, to enable students to do simulated human dissections and other medical procedures, research on the use of VR as a learning tool in the humanities, more specifically the literature classroom, are few. This grounded theory study sought to understand better the use of VR…

As the world becomes increasingly globalized thanks, at least in part, to the ubiquity of digital technology, scholars in discourse and new media must explore the possibility of learning and composition to expand pedagogical practices and opportunities. This project uses study abroad programs and education as a test case for establishing the…

This qualitative phenomenological study examines faculty perceptions of generative AI in the social sciences and humanities in the United States. As generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools become more widely available on higher education campuses, concerns have arisen about faculty's preparedness to manage and address the use of these…

This study examined how students and faculty perceived the use of pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy in undergraduate humanities courses. Humanities courses, in particular at small, liberal arts institutions, are underrepresented in research about perceptions of learning and teaching. Participants in this study were undergraduate students and…

Digital competencies have become an essential skill set for most professions. The University of Delaware (UD) needs to recognize and give credit for the digital skills students bring to their graduate studies, and for digital skills learned while in graduate programs. The current structure of humanities graduate programs at UD does not offer this.…

Over the past five years, the national average college persistence rate for low-income students was 16%. Compared to the national rate of 60%, this number presents a significant gap in college persistence rates between low-income and the overall persistence rate. However, the college persistence rate for low-income students from Cristo Rey Boston…

This study examines perceptions of student learning outcomes assessment by Humanities faculty members at a regional comprehensive university. Participants from History, English, and Philosophy and Religion departments were interviewed about their perceptions of assessment. The results were that Humanities faculty members hold both positive and…

This qualitative ethnographic single case-study was conducted to investigate what influences pre- and post-tenured humanities faculty course design, the effects of those influences, and their perceptions about career readiness. This study focused on a career readiness initiative at Mid-western Michigan University (MMU), which was built around the…

Mathematical definitions are central to learning and doing mathematics. Research has uncovered significant differences between how mathematicians and non-mathematicians construct, reason about, and refine mathematical definitions. Various strands of research provide insight into the development of definitional practices, yet an integrated approach…