This dissertation investigates the implementation of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs in Illinois community colleges, focusing on Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) faculty perceptions. Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study first conducted a survey among full-time ADN faculty across Illinois community…

Research Questions: While community college transfer (i.e., upward transfer) represents an important mechanism for advancing equity across STEM fields, existing studies of gender and women's participation within computer science have largely excluded the perspectives of upward transfer students. We address this gap in the literature by exploring…

The country, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Virginia Community College System initiatives all promote generative AI within education. It is a topic of great concern and interest for higher education instructors, yet at the same time many faculty members feel uncertain about effectively integrating it into class material. To further add pressure…

A promising solution for reducing costs for students, especially textbook costs, is Open Educational Resources (OER). We explored community college faculty members' perceptions of using OER compared with publisher textbooks. In this comparative context, we investigated how OER impacted faculty, their instructional decisions, and their students as…

This phenomenological qualitative study has been designed to explore and describe the lived workplace experiences of adjunct faculty who have been employed for at least one academic year at a single district, multi-campus community college, and who are not seeking full-time employment. The focus of their lived workplace experiences is on their…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the motivation for instructors to begin and continue teaching community college courses in carceral settings. Conceptual Framework: My conceptual framework presented public service motivation (PSM) and prosocial motivation as different types of motivation that lead to different types of…

As a result of California Assembly Bill 705(AB705, 2017) and California Assembly Bill 1705 (AB1705, 2021), most 1st-year students will enroll directly into transfer level math and/or English courses (Baca, 2021; Lopez, 2022; Melguizo et al., 2022; Sims, 2020). Students once placed into remedial coursework before enrolling in transfer level…

This dissertation explored the experiences of 16 new full-time community college faculty as they learned to understand and meet their work expectations. Informed by the literature on the preparation of future faculty and the dimensions of full-time community college faculty work, this qualitative study narrowed in on the experiences of new faculty…

Although higher education institutions may be described as forward-thinking in areas such as research, their teaching practices are often perceived as lacking in innovation. This disjunction has led educators, researchers, and policymakers to question the role and implementation of change in higher education contexts and the factors that affect…

Scholarship, especially the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), can positively impact teaching and learning practices, yet there are many barriers to community college faculty engagement in these activities. Recognizing the important role of values in motivation and behaviors, the purpose of this study was to understand the perceived…

This study examined Open Educational Resources (OER) through a community college faculty perspective. Specifically, this study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of faculty motivations surrounding OER, faculty perceptions of OER's influences on students, and pedagogical changes that faculty have made in response to OER. A qualitative research…

Objective: Given funding concerns and heightened work expectations at baccalaureate degree-granting community colleges, we set out to understand faculty advisors' emotional labor in such context. Methods: We conducted a supra analysis, which is a form of secondary analysis of qualitative data. Existing interview data were drawn from a…

Studies show a need for career and technical education (CTE) faculty to have more instructional training. Greater use of evidence based instructional practices (EBIPs) would likely improve community college CTE program instruction by providing research-based guidance for effective instruction. Use of EBIPs remains low across all levels of…

This capstone investigates the integration experiences of new faculty at Somerset Community College (SCC) through Organizational Socialization Theory (OST). Acknowledging the multifaceted challenges that new faculty encounter, ranging from adapting to an unfamiliar academic culture to navigating institutional policies and building relationships…

Colleges are charged with providing safe and secure campus environments, which are conducive to learning for all students. It is the duty of the college leadership to ensure that their campuses are not only visually appealing, but also that they ensure the safety of all. Recent events have shown that efforts to protect our campuses and…