All students studying Computer Science (CS) deserve to have their basic psychological need for belonging satisfied. In this dissertation, I present two studies of belonging among CS students at the University of Washington-Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering. In the first study, my collaborators implemented a resubmission…

A widely accepted orthodoxy is that it is impossible to do replication studies within qualitative research paradigms. Ontologically and epistemologically speaking, such a view is largely correct. However, in this paper, I propose that what I call comparative re-production research--that is, the empirical study of qualitative phenomena that occur…

One of the author's chief delights as editor of "Change" is to read, every year, the personal statements of students who have won the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award. Pat Cross, professor "emerita" at the University of California, Berkeley, has long been a leading scholar in higher education. These future leaders of…

The rapid pace of change in technology can be dizzying. Keeping up with these changes can be daunting for institutions of higher education, where the technological needs of constituents are as diverse as the number of available technologies. In this climate of constant change, understanding how the university community becomes aware of and employs…

A collaboration of postsecondary institutions nationwide undertook a project to apply research in developing methods and materials to help instructors more fully include students with disabilities in their courses. These institutions conducted a needs assessment; developed content and delivery modes; undertook a rigorous formative evaluation;…

Historically, the Composition Program at Eastern Washington University (EWU), a comprehensive university in Cheney, WA, required a single essay sample from each composition student as the final exit exam; in practice, a student passed or failed the course based on an in-class argumentative essay, written in three consecutive class periods. Such a…

The Seattle Public Schools serve one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation. The school system's enrollment represents many racial and ethnic groups and includes students from around the world who come to Seattle speaking many languages and families who came to the city generations ago. The challenge facing Seattle and all other major…

The compensation policy for students and graduate assistant employees at two-year and four-year public institutions in Washington State was studied. General student employment (excluding teaching assistants) is considered in terms of regular student employment and work study employment. Regular student employment is fully funded out of the…

The study analyzes (1) expenditure patterns that relate costs per full-time equivalent student to faculty salaries and benefits, direct instructional support costs and indirect of overhead support costs; (2) overall student/faculty ratios, and (3) average salaries and benefits for three categories of faculty (full-time, part-time, and graduate…