The COVID-19 pandemic brought online learning to the forefront with the need to define online learning with best practices. Clemson University Extension conducted a retrospective observational study compiling survey data from virtual extension agents and supervisor's conducting online programs. A literature review analyzed terminology for online…

Working as a teacher educator today means working under an ever-present regulatory gaze. Accountability mechanisms, including state program approval processes, have been layered resulting in complexity. External assessments have failed to provide the data needed to support continuous improvement. There have been calls for combining external and…

Student misbehaviour presents a barrier to the successful education of students and the ability for teachers to be most effective in their classroom. The current approaches being utilized to manage behaviour in classrooms range from punitive to functional. To move school educators away from punitive measures and towards a functional view of…

This dissertation conducts an evaluative case study on a community college's Career-Technical Education (CTE) Cultural Resource Management (CRM) technical certificate program to bridge the CRM workforce gap. The study assesses the program's design and development quality by aligning the program theory with stakeholders' needs, including…

This program model describes the phases of planning, implementing, and evaluating a program designed for Tennessee public schools to manage student behavior in at-risk populations. This program model employs a hybrid asset-based community development, logic, and interactive model to implement interventions based on the principles of applied…

Pre-apprenticeship programs are a very effective tool to help youth and adults enter a Registered Apprenticeship program. Participants can also use the experience to pursue further training or enter the workforce. The pre-apprenticeship is designed to help youth or adults take a snapshot of their current skills and use that data to address gaps in…

Student veterans may encounter educational barriers that can impact transitions to college. This research focused on veteran transitions to college during onboarding. Onboarding is beneficial in a higher education setting and, when properly deployed, can help ease transitions. This study involved the development, implementation, and assessment of…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this mixed-method case study program evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of a middle-level career exploration program to determine whether any program adjustments should be implemented for overall student success. From a population of 152 core classroom teachers, 55 teachers responded to a survey…

This study aimed to examine the initial pre-service teacher outcomes for a newly developed mental health training (i.e., "Training In Mental health for Educators -- Pre-service Teachers" [TIME-PT]). For the development of the TIME-PT, an expert panel and a focus group with pre-service teachers were conducted to inform of any changes and…

The estimated prevalence of neurodivergent (ND) conditions is approximately 15-20% of the population in the United States (Doyle, 2020; Maenner et al., 2023). ND students are increasingly enrolling in mainstream colleges and universities (Bakker et al., 2019) but report that they are not receiving adequate support on campus (Dexter et al., 2024;…

Severe inequities for underrepresented student groups (URGs) in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) fields has remained a topic of national concern for several decades. Research has demonstrated the efficacy of STEMM intervention programs (SIPs) in addressing disparate STEMM outcomes. However, there is a dearth of…

Nearly three-quarters of US adults use at least one social media site (Pew Research, 2019 & 2021). The consistency of US adults reporting social media use indicates a dependable population base to engage in health education. Based on this data, social media has become a community for health educators to perform essentials of their professional…

At the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, commuter students make up the majority of the currently enrolled student population. The majority population has expressed their dissatisfaction about co-curricular and social activities and a diminished sense of belonging and inclusion. The focus of this dissertation is on the Greensburg Experiences…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe how one interdisciplinary program that used an authentic learning approach may have developed global competence in students. This study explored how teachers planned and implemented a global competence program and how students perceived their acquisition of global competence. I used an…

Writing is an essential skill for success in many academic and professional settings. Despite receiving individualized feedback on their writing, many students struggle with writing in postsecondary education. This dissertation addresses this gap by focusing on the writing process--the moment-by-moment actions taken during writing--rather than the…