The research conducts in this dissertation. This study aims to fill the gaps in the literature on the preparedness levels of faculty. The research problem addressed how prepared the faculty felt to teach at the college level. In this study, faculty were surveyed that teach at Traditional Campuses, Online Campuses, and the Hybrid Model, which…

The increasing number of students who struggle to read has become a significant challenge for the nation's public schools. This study aimed to investigate the use of an online instructional reading program on the academic achievement of students with disabilities compared to race, gender, socioeconomic status, and family structure. The i-Ready…

Disseminating and communicating scientific findings is an acknowledged part of the research experience, but few science programs include explicit undergraduate curricula for practicing oral science communication. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) can provide opportunities for students to practice science communication, but…

This paper is a progress report about a project that consists of five stages starting with an analysis of the current state of application of higher educational learning material with regards to structural format and media didactics. The aim of this analysis has been accomplished through an initial survey with the motivation to analyze didactic…

Universities across the world have faced enormous disruption as a result of the pandemic, with those that can, forced to move their activities online. This rapid shift has particular significance in a Commonwealth context, where stark disparities in internet connectivity and infrastructure persist -- and for Association of Commonwealth…

This study seeks to understand the current level of e-learning and to investigate the challenges to the successful implementation of e-learning in Jordanian higher education from the perspectives of faculty members at selected Jordanian universities. Analyses of emailed survey data from 157 faculty members showed that the level of faculty…

K-12 educational leaders were the initial decision makers, implementers, and/or communicators of the COVID-19 Pandemic procedures for the district and/or school. The purpose of the qualitative study was to determine what barriers K-12 educational leadership encountered during transition to virtual learning that hindered a supportive student…

The shift to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic found secondary choral teachers moving traditional performance-based courses to the online venue. The pedagogical changes needed include implementing technology and disseminating information through learning management systems. Relationships between teachers and students, and teachers and…

Psychotherapy is effective (Wampold & Imel, 2015), however, some clinicians consistently achieve better outcomes with patients than others (Rousmaniere, Goodyear, Miller, & Wampold, 2017). This known difference has been recognized across disciplines including psychiatry, medicine, nursing, psychology, and social work (Gerdes, K. E., &…

My dissertation seeks to explore opportunities for disruptions--moments of learning in (digitally) networked spaces that seek to challenge, subvert, and reimagine our worlds. Drawing primarily on sociocultural theories of literacy and learning, I explore the ways that learning, mediated by digital technologies, takes place in formal and informal…

Secondary students from a mid-sized school district in the rural Midwest who had chosen an asynchronous learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed to determine predictors of academic achievement and perceptions of their learning during the pandemic. An explanatory, mixed methods case study was conducted to sequentially analyze…

This document introduces a research study that aimed to gain insight into the perspectives of newly qualified teachers, mentor teachers, and administrators during their participation in a technology-enhanced teacher induction program while assigned within a rural school district in southeastern Colorado. The qualitative case study took a deeper…

After spreading quickly around the world and causing the declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 has also forced educational institutions into lockdown around the world. They had to continue their activities through distance learning and online courses to cope with this pandemic outbreak. One of the…

In the past decades, online course enrollment has steadily increased in popularity. In 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic suddenly shifted most teaching and learning into the virtual world. The entire education system tried to quickly learn how to cope in this environment. Given the clear benefits of online learning, such as flexibility and…

This dissertation explores the theme of applying video-based instruction on employment skill acquisition among secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It consists of an introduction, three stand-alone papers, and a research statement. Chapter 1 presents the overview of the current competitive integrated…