Enrolling in an online program has become an increasingly popular choice for graduate students, as this format allows the flexibility to balance personal, academic, and professional commitments. However, this flexibility alone does not guarantee that an online program will contribute positively to students' lives. In this qualitative action…

In this dissertation, I examine three perspectives on a collaborative action research project centered on revising the "Foundations of Education" course in George Mason University's Secondary Education (SEED) program for students seeking a Master of Education degree and/or initial teacher licensure. This course revision project was…

This qualitative research study examined the design of collaborative learning experiences in an online graduate course in educational leadership. Based on principles of design-based research, this single case study analyzed the design process among the faculty member and learning design team who created the course. Data were also gathered from the…

Professional advocacy is central to the counselor's professional identity and is essential for counselors to maintain the privilege of serving clients. Despite CACREP requirements for programs to provide training in professional advocacy, counseling students may need more training in this area. This quantitative study examined professional…

Place-based educators recognize the importance of place in shaping learning, as our sense of place serves as a lens through which we interpret our experiences. Despite the growing prevalence of online environments in education, their impact on our sense of place remains largely unexplored. This case study employed critical case sampling to explore…

The problem addressed in this study was that there was a gap of knowledge regarding the predictors of satisfaction and learning outcomes of online homeland security graduate students. Without this knowledge, universities would not be able to maintain a homeland security program that would meet its intended objectives. The purpose of the study was…

Higher education institutions' growth in online course offerings has led faculty to designers-by-assignment (DBAs). Faculty DBA are tasked with designing online courses without foundational instructional design knowledge, skills, or institution-provided instructional design support. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews using Zoom.…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive mixed methods research study was to determine online learners' perceptions of nationally-recognized and research-based online course design standards and how those standards relate to their learning outcomes. The study utilized a Likert scale survey to collect quantitative data on students' perceptions…

It has been well-establishing in the field of educational research that traditional educational methods such as passive lectures and labs where students follow pre-designed procedures to verify information already told to them are not effective for promoting meaningful and lasting conceptual understanding. Alongside this knowledge have come a…

This dissertation explored the lived experiences of undergraduate and graduate students with learning disabilities and learning-affected disorders within the context of the college writing classroom. Utilizing a critical incident technique (CIT) framework, the dissertation inquired about the writing processes, learning styles, decisions regarding…

Labs have long been considered an important component of physics education. However, while there has been progress in transforming physics education in physics lecture classes to improve student learning, less progress has been made in introductory physics labs. At the same time, the physics community has come to recognize that there is a need to…

University personnel offering online doctoral degrees struggle to address high attrition of students in the dissertation phase; these students can feel isolated, disconnected, and unmotivated. The purpose of this study was to explore ways online doctoral students in the dissertation phase used social networking sites (SNS) to overcome isolation…

As institutions continue to expand their online learning programs, it becomes increasingly important to identify research-based strategies to support their design. Numerous professional organizations provide guidance to institutions to direct the mechanics of online delivery. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson, Archer,…

Graduate students encounter specific career difficulties in making career decisions, and turn to various sources of assistance, help-seeking resources and guidance (Gati, Gadasi & Shemesh, 2005). Previous research into graduate student career needs have not sought to better understand the specific differences between international and domestic…

Educational institutions offering a master's degree program in instructional design incorporate instructional design theory into the master's degree course offerings. The responsibility for the student is to develop coursework. Master's degree learners will use instructional design theory to develop course materials. This study…