Current Search:  Public universities and colleges (x)

View All Items

  • CSV Spreadsheet
(1 - 6 of 6)
A Qualitative Examination of Strategic Planning and Process Improvement in Public Universities: Dynamics of the Relationship to State Funding, Competition, and Undergraduate Degree Completion
Title
A Qualitative Examination of Strategic Planning and Process Improvement in Public Universities: Dynamics of the Relationship to State Funding, Competition, and Undergraduate Degree Completion.
Creator
Ford, Stanford E., Wright, Dianne A., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description
Public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are facing many challenges including state funding, competition, and maintaining the best possible graduation rate. This study: (1) examined the strategic plans and strategic planning processes to explore how, and to what extent, these tool are being used to address these challenges; and (2) explored the extent to which continuous process improvement is included in strategic planning efforts. A qualitative research design employing a grounded theory...
Show morePublic Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are facing many challenges including state funding, competition, and maintaining the best possible graduation rate. This study: (1) examined the strategic plans and strategic planning processes to explore how, and to what extent, these tool are being used to address these challenges; and (2) explored the extent to which continuous process improvement is included in strategic planning efforts. A qualitative research design employing a grounded theory approach was used in this study. The researcher reviewed the perceptions of the participants at each of four selected public institutions regarding strategic planning processes, including their beliefs with regard to process improvement as a component of the strategic planning process. Perceived facilitators and detractors of strategic planning and its implementation were also examined. Finally, the researcher sought to design an improved model for strategic planning in higher education that takes continuous process improvement into consideration as a basic component of the approach to planning. The dominant theme that emerged from the data analysis concerned state funding, as performance-based funding offers an opportunity to acquire additional funds. Graduation rate was identified as a core component of student success. Competition from emerging sectors was not a specific topic of discussion during the strategic planning processes. Forty-one percent of participants indicated that some form of process improvement structure exists at their institution, often related to accreditation reviews and was outside of the strategic planning process. 53% of the responses to the question, “What do you believe would be the impact of having process improvement as an integral component in the strategic planning process?” replied that it would be good or beneficial if it were carried out in a meaningful manner. Twenty-nine percent of the 53% stated that process improvement efforts are often performed for it’s own sake, and that including process improvement in the strategic planning process should be done in a manner that adds value to the strategic planning process and the institution. Through the analysis of the approaches to strategic planning examined in this study, the researcher offers a new strategic planning model for HEIs grounded in the findings.
Show less
Date Issued
2018
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005993
Subject Headings
Public universities and colleges, Strategic planning, Higher education and state, Education, Higher--Planning
Format
Document (PDF)
Enrollment management strategies, campus involvement, and goal achievement in public research universities
Title
Enrollment management strategies, campus involvement, and goal achievement in public research universities.
Creator
Brown, Michelle Jitka Domas, Florida Atlantic University, Pisapia, John
Abstract/Description
This study investigated the practice of enrollment management in public Research Universities. The study produced six key findings. First, the number of Research universities with an enrollment management plan is slightly lower than universities without a plan. Second, the Enrollment Management Division was the most prevalent organizational structure created. Third, increasing overall enrollment and improving graduation rates were chosen most frequently by the universities as their most...
Show moreThis study investigated the practice of enrollment management in public Research Universities. The study produced six key findings. First, the number of Research universities with an enrollment management plan is slightly lower than universities without a plan. Second, the Enrollment Management Division was the most prevalent organizational structure created. Third, increasing overall enrollment and improving graduation rates were chosen most frequently by the universities as their most important goals. Fourth, technology and physical structure strategies were utilized the most for recruitment. And, policies and procedures strategies were used the most for retention. Fifth, the strategies most frequently used were identified and discussed in greater detail. Finally, four to five was the average number of functional areas involved in the implementation of any goal. The study supports that an enrollment management plan must be unique for each institution and provides considerations for practitioners and leaders of higher education. However, it raises question to the need for a formal written enrollment management plan for success and to the relationship between strategic planning and enrollment management.
Show less
Date Issued
2002
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12015
Subject Headings
Education, Higher--Aims and objectives
Format
Document (PDF)
IS IT WORKING? NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON PERFORMANCE-BASED FUNDING POLICIES IN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION
Title
IS IT WORKING? NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON PERFORMANCE-BASED FUNDING POLICIES IN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION.
Creator
Capp, James, Sapat, Alka, Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
Abstract/Description
Public higher education increasingly relies on performance-based funding (PBF) policies to enhance accountability. These policies attempt to steer institutions towards successful outcomes via performance indicators, such as graduation rates. Nationally, PBF policies continue to grow in popularity despite limited evidence that they are effective (Hillman, Tandberg, and Gross, 2014). Motivated by the apparent conflict between the widespread adoption of PBF policies and the lack of evidence that...
Show morePublic higher education increasingly relies on performance-based funding (PBF) policies to enhance accountability. These policies attempt to steer institutions towards successful outcomes via performance indicators, such as graduation rates. Nationally, PBF policies continue to grow in popularity despite limited evidence that they are effective (Hillman, Tandberg, and Gross, 2014). Motivated by the apparent conflict between the widespread adoption of PBF policies and the lack of evidence that they actually improve outcomes in higher education, this dissertation investigates the perceived impacts of PBF policies. Florida’s public university system serves as the setting for the study due to its uniquely punitive PBF policy design and the model’s non-standardized performance indicators.
Show less
Date Issued
2019
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013290
Subject Headings
Higher education and state, Public universities and colleges--Florida--Administration, State universities and colleges--Florida--Finance, Performance-based funding
Format
Document (PDF)
Student Perception of Online Instructors at a Florida Public University
Title
Student Perception of Online Instructors at a Florida Public University.
Creator
Ballard, William Willett, Shockley, Robert, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description
The purpose of this study was to determine differences in online student perception of the quality of instruction between online instructors who did and did not complete faculty training for online instruction. There has been very little research identifying the factors influencing online students perception on quality of instruction, specifically at Florida public institutions. This research is important in establishing if public universities should require some level of training before an...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine differences in online student perception of the quality of instruction between online instructors who did and did not complete faculty training for online instruction. There has been very little research identifying the factors influencing online students perception on quality of instruction, specifically at Florida public institutions. This research is important in establishing if public universities should require some level of training before an instructor can teach online. Experiencing poor quality of instruction can negatively impact an online student academically, which can, in turn, be detrimental to a university’s student retention and graduation rates. This study adds to the current body of research regarding improvement of the quality of instruction in online courses based on the online students perception of faculty and the completion of faculty training for online instruction. The results of this study demonstrated no significant difference overall in student perception of quality of instruction between online instructors who did and did not complete faculty training as measured in courses with five or more student respondents. Additional results revealed that multiple academic colleges demonstrated a significant difference in student perception of quality of instruction. This study also discovered a slight negative effect of online faculty training on other areas of student satisfaction that did not include quality of instruction. Recommendations for future research are provided, including those for the improvement of online faculty training, university policy, and faculty and student preparation for online teaching and learning, respectively.
Show less
Date Issued
2018
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005962
Subject Headings
Distance education--Florida, Public universities and colleges, Online teaching, Student evaluation of teachers
Format
Document (PDF)
Matthew Effect and public administration research: An analysis of the relationship of institutional prestige to research funding levels and departmental research productivity at U.S. schools of public administration
Title
The Matthew Effect and public administration research: An analysis of the relationship of institutional prestige to research funding levels and departmental research productivity at U.S. schools of public administration.
Creator
Popejoy, Michael William., Florida Atlantic University, Lynch, Thomas D.
Abstract/Description
The Matthew Effect is a biblical metaphor coined by Derek de Solla Price to describe a violation of Robert K. Merton's Norms of Science particularly the Norm of Universalism. It is based on the principle of accumulative advantage operating in socially stratified systems to produce the same result: the rich get richer at a rate that makes the poor become relatively poorer. Prestige attracts a disproportionate share of scarce resources available for research. Applying the Matthew Effect theory...
Show moreThe Matthew Effect is a biblical metaphor coined by Derek de Solla Price to describe a violation of Robert K. Merton's Norms of Science particularly the Norm of Universalism. It is based on the principle of accumulative advantage operating in socially stratified systems to produce the same result: the rich get richer at a rate that makes the poor become relatively poorer. Prestige attracts a disproportionate share of scarce resources available for research. Applying the Matthew Effect theory to public administration research revealed for the first time in the discipline that the most prestigious institutions did attract more research funding than their less prestigious counterparts. Using measures of prestige, research funding, and research productivity, a series of bivariate and multivariate analyses were run on the sample survey data from 69 respondent U.S. schools of public administration. The results indicated that the schools rated as prestigious did attract more funding and schools that were better funded did more research. Also, schools that actively sought grants achieved more grant funding. However, the reverse was not true. The increased funding levels and increased research productivity did not influence prestige in the short-run. The results support the literature from sociology and education that prestige, funding and productivity are positively related but that prestige is not enhanced in the short-term by higher levels of research productivity or funding. The existence of the Matthew Effect operating on the discipline of public administration was confirmed. The dissertation also focused attention on the relative effects of productivity and prestige on funding levels using grant-getting activities as a measure of faculty research productivity. The results demonstrated that prestige outweighed grant-getting activity, but was not the sole determinate in establishing funding levels.
Show less
Date Issued
1994
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12380
Subject Headings
Public administration--Research--United States, Research--United States--Finance, Universities and colleges--Research--United States
Format
Document (PDF)
The Impact of “Real World” Experiences through Academic Service Learning on Students’ Success Rate, Attitudes, and Motivation in Intermediate Algebra at a Public University
Title
The Impact of “Real World” Experiences through Academic Service Learning on Students’ Success Rate, Attitudes, and Motivation in Intermediate Algebra at a Public University.
Creator
Toussaint, Mario J., Furner, Joseph M., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
Abstract/Description
A report issued in 2012 by the United States Government Accountability Office (US Government Accountability Office, 2012) concluded that the United States is not producing enough graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to meet the demands of its economy. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2001), fewer than fifty percent of students nationally possess a solid command of mathematical content. This study tested whether the insertion of...
Show moreA report issued in 2012 by the United States Government Accountability Office (US Government Accountability Office, 2012) concluded that the United States is not producing enough graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to meet the demands of its economy. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2001), fewer than fifty percent of students nationally possess a solid command of mathematical content. This study tested whether the insertion of Academic Service Learning (ASL) into intermediate algebra courses improved students’ performance, their motivation to learn the subject, and attitudes towards mathematics learning. ASL is an educational strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities (Duffy, Barrington, West, Heredia, & Barry, 2011). The subjects in this study were thirty-four students enrolled in intermediate algebra at a large public university in southeast Florida. The participant group consisted of fifteen students who completed the requirements of the ASL program and the comparison group consisted of nineteen students who initially showed interest in the program but dropped out of the study early in the semester. Through a mixed method analysis, the study found that the proportion of students who passed the course in the ASL group was greater than the proportion of students in the non-ASL group. Similarly, the mean final course grade in the ASL group was higher than the mean final course grade in the non-ASL group. The results of the qualitative analyses showed that all the participants enjoyed the ASL experience. In addition, some participants felt that the ASL project raised their motivation to learn mathematics and increased their competence in mathematics. However, both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that the students’ participation in the ASL project did not affect their attitudes towards mathematics learning. The study concluded that Academic Service Learning has the potential to help improve students’ success rates in developmental mathematics courses as well as increase their motivation to learn the subject.
Show less
Date Issued
2016
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004739, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004739
Subject Headings
Action research in education., Service learning., Universities and colleges--Public services., Teacher-student relationships., Algebra--Study and teaching (Higher), Educational technology--Evaluation., Motivation in education., Academic achievement.
Format
Document (PDF)