Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented mid-semester transition to virtual learning. Instructors and students had to adapt to new ways of delivering and receiving course material. Objective: The present investigation examined whether course format and sense of belongingness were associated with learning satisfaction during the…

This dissertation explores the evolving landscape of graduate business education, highlighting the growing significance of specialized master's programs alongside traditional MBAs at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. It recognizes the changing demographics and needs of students, emphasizing the critical importance of fostering a…

The effect of the flipped classroom model on students' academic achievement, academic satisfaction, and general belongingness was investigated using an experimental design. Purposive sampling was used to select 94 undergraduate students as participants. The participants were divided into three groups: one experimental group with the flipped…

This study explored the relationship between student perceptions of transactional distance between themselves and their teachers and their sense of community presence as measured by the Community of Inquiry Questionnaire (Arbaugh et al., 2008), use of self-regulated learning skills as measured by the Online Student Learning Questionnaire (OSLQ)…

Few studies have been conducted to investigate the role that alumni's prior campus experience may play in future donation behavior. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the affect theory of social exchange were applied to examine the underlying relationship between campus experience and donation behavior by incorporating relevant factors…

Background: Belonging in their academic discipline affects students' participation and retention in engineering. While prior studies have conceptualized belonging as a predictor of outcomes, this study examines belonging as an outcome that depends on interpersonal and intrapersonal variables. Purpose: This quantitative study tested a conceptual…

Community colleges serve a large percentage of historically under-represented populations including students of color, low-income, and first-generation students. Unfortunately, less than half of students who begin at a community college return the following Fall and only about one-fourth of students eventually graduate. Previous research indicates…

Career services in higher education has a long history of supporting student development and post-graduation success (American Council on Education, 1937; Rayman, 1999; Dey & Cruzvergara, 2014). However, there is a dearth of research identifying specific connections between engagement with career services and student success. College student…

The purpose of this non-experimental, comparative quantitative study was to determine if there were significant differences between the perceptions of undergraduate and graduate students about the importance and presence of sense of community in online classes at two southern public universities using survey data. The study also aimed to determine…

Adult learners, or undergraduate students aged 24 years or older, represent one third of the undergraduate student population in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the pathways to thriving for undergraduate adult learners, taking into consideration their entering characteristics and life circumstances. Thriving has been…

The week-long, in-person Summer Institute offers students a unique and enriching experience that greatly influences their educational journey. One of the key benefits is the opportunity for face-to-face interactions, which can be transformative in an era dominated by online learning. Students can engage in real-time discussions, forge meaningful…

This descriptive study offers lessons learned from students' experiences with a gamified, social media-like instructional approach in eighteen courses from spring 2021 through spring 2022. Researchers at a mid-sized university in the southeastern United States leveraged Christensen's (2011) disruptive innovation theory as a guiding framework to…

Millions of students experienced increased levels of stress and worries about their college pursuits as they were forced to abrupt pivot to online and hybrid learning due to the global pandemic. Drawing from the theory of human needs, this study examined the extent to which COVID-19 influenced the relationship between financial well-being, needs…

Benefits of summer bridge and early arrival experiences include the academic and social integration of incoming first-year students into their chosen institutions. The unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic created opportunities to re-imagine delivery of activities and engagement of incoming first-year students in summer bridge and early…

Purpose: This study aims to advance the understanding on individual variations in PhD candidates' personal interest in their doctorate and supervisory and research community support, and several individual and structural attributes potentially having an impact on the profiles. Design/methodology/approach: The authors explored the interrelationship…