This dissertation research is a case study centered on graduate student responses to eight (8) risk and crisis emails sent from two (2) University of Minnesota leaders delivered between February 2020 and August 2021. The study joins conversations about technical communication, risk, and crisis communication, as well as advancing work on digital…

This paper presents the results of a nationwide survey of educators for grades 6-12 who specialize in family and consumer sciences education (N=380). The paper examines teacher reports about their self-efficacy in online learning during the switch to off-campus instruction. Data revealed that district communication to teachers indicating that they…

Traditionally seen as a way for institutions to help students alleviate some of the financial demands placed on them, on-campus student employment has several additional benefits institutions can leverage to assist students along their collegiate journey. If designed and operationalized effectively, institutions can use their on-campus student…

In this paper, we argue that teachers have an opportunity to take on leadership roles in technology-rich schools and districts. Based on data collected during a year-long project to investigate award-winning schools and districts, we used observations, interviews and focus groups, and document analysis to glean lessons learned from leaders and…

In a world ruled by digital communications, it can seem like there are almost as many methods, tools, and platforms to communicate with internal audiences as there are opinions and perspectives on how to do it effectively. Organizations of various sizes are struggling with how to reach their audiences' divided attention, and higher education…

Minnesota Statutes 122A.40, Subdivision 8 and 122A.41, Subdivision 5, require that all districts evaluate teachers beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. In response to the statutes, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) convened a work group in early winter 2011 to consult with the MDE Commissioner to develop a state model for teacher…

A team at the University of Minnesota conducted the Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP) core evaluation between 1999 and 2004. The purpose of the CETP core evaluation was to achieve consensus among CETP project leaders and project evaluators on evaluation questions; to develop, pilot, and field test evaluation instruments…

The University of Minnesota Extension conducted a social network analysis (SNA) to examine its outreach to organizations external to the University of Minnesota. The study found that its outreach network was both broad in its reach and strong in its connections. The study found that SNA offers a unique method for describing and measuring Extension…

This narrative, single-case study examines how liaison librarians at the University of Minnesota (UMN) came to include advocating for reform of the scholarly communication system among their core responsibilities. While other libraries may hire a coordinator or rely on a committee to undertake outreach programs, UMN has defined baseline expertise…

Research was initiated to investigate the concept of "network" as it related to the development of an occupational information system in Minnesota. Forty-eight users and producers of occupational information located in a number of Minnesota agencies were interviewed, with primary atention given to those agencies represented on the…

This overview report of the site visit evaluations for the Minnesota Council on Quality Education (CQE) Early Childhood and Family Education programs provides an aggregate picture of the total CQE effort. The purpose of the evaluation effort was to judge the quality of the CQE programs. The first part of this report presents the results of those…

This document is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: an examination of investors' understanding of auditing reports; the development and implementation of a communication audit related to selected systems concepts; the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 19 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: an informal communication process with implications for information retrieval; a rhetorical approach to the nonsexist language controversy; a validation study of…