Adult Learning Theory: Reflections on the Role of Mentoring as a Key to Success in Advanced Degree Programs

Vital to completing advanced educational and training programs beyond the undergraduate degree level is realizing specific dispositions and traits. In this paper, the role of mentoring as a critical contributing factor to student success is examined through critical reflection as a form of qualitative inquiry. Traditionally utilized in professional settings to improve practice, critical reflection provided an emergent methodological approach for close examination of personal experiences with mentoring during the learning process in pursuit and subsequent completion of a professional degree (Fook, 2013). This in-depth examination of personal experience derived lessons learned from individuals that successfully navigated the rigor of advanced educational programs to expose mentoring’s role as the key to success. This article was published in the American Journal of Educational Research and Reviews, 6(80) 2021. ISSN:2474-9265https://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddfacultyworks/1018/thumbnail.jp

Intentional Mentoring: A Shared Journey of Discovering and Supporting Diverse Talent in Academia

Thriving in academe for faculty of color is difficult and challenging (Gasman, 2022). Faculty of Color face enormous odds of overcoming barriers such as an unwelcoming culture, isolation, lack of professional support, imposter syndrome and disengagement from the community of scholars. In recognition of these factors, intentional mentoring provides a strategy of support in facilitating successful persistence in the academy. This autoethnographic paper explores the mentor-mentee relationship of a tenured faculty member whose contributions in mentorship and coaching produced notable professional growth for countless doctoral students and new faculty members. Sharing the experiences of one mentee and mentor may inform the journey of uncovering some of the nuances of navigating the barriers of entry in the academy. Mack, Watson, and Comacho (2012) articulate the longstanding structural barriers in higher education that impede the professional progress of groups not traditionally present as faculty and posit that the voices of affected faculty must be heard

Personal Health Records Interoperability

Implementation of Personal Health Record interoperability requires the adoption of national standards. These standards have been driven by regulation. The Center for Information Technology Leadership (CITL) estimates PHRs could result in an annual net value of nineteen-billion dollars. This is based on cost savings to healthcare providers and payers over a ten-year implementation period with an 80% U.S. adoption rate

Exploring Digital Health Promotion and Education in East Texas: Pathways to Improving Access

Purpose: Technology is an important part of healthcare in the United States. There are opportunities for a better understanding of how technology and digital health can improve health and healthcare. The purpose of this study was to answer two research questions. The first research question was, what is the understanding of digital health in the community? The second research question was, what is the knowledge of digital health in the community. These research questions may inform how health professionals address the issue of electronic health records, digital health, and the implications for technology. Methods: Using a convenience sample, participants were recruited to answer an online survey to identify knowledge and understanding of technology, digital health, and a better understanding of health. Participants were able to opt into or out of the survey. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and evaluated with descriptive statistics. Results: The sample size of 14 is small. Results identified that participants were not fully embracing of health technologies. The data indicated that participants were not fully accepting of technology and digital health. Conclusions: Further research should be conducted to obtain a larger sample size. Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to plan interventions to educate the community about health and health technologies. Qualitative and mixed-method studies can add to what is known about health and healthcare technology and digital health resources. Recommendations: It is recommended that interventions be targeted to educate the East Texas population about electronic health resources, telehealth/telemedicine, and technologies that can support health. This article was published in Journal of Health Education Teaching, 2020; 11(1), 32-42. ISSN: 2333-4851. The article is Creative Commons licensed (CC-BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.https://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddfacultyworks/1019/thumbnail.jp

The Coaching Principal: Building Teacher Capacity Through the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS)

In response to mandates from the United State Department of Education, Texas revamped its educator evaluation systems to better support teacher professional growth. This best practice research informs practitioners of strategies to build teacher capacity through the leadership coaching attributes necessary for effective implementation of the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS). Citation: Templeton, N., Willis, K., & Hendricks, L. (2016). The Coaching Principal: Building Teacher Capacity Through the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS). International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 8(4).https://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddfacultyworks/1012/thumbnail.jp

Doctoral Student Online Learning: Addressing Challenges of the Virtual Experience

Doctoral student attrition is a major problem in higher education. This qualitative study sought to understand student beliefs and perceived confidence levels in a primarily online professional doctoral degree in education. Before accessing course material and formal instruction, respondents assigned scores to a Likert-style survey and answered open-ended questions about their understanding of basic educational research methodology. The rise of distance education follows the rapid growth of technological advancement. Yet, much is still unknown about pedagogical practices that contribute to improved learning outcomes for students in the virtual environment. Themes that emerged from this study suggest that (1) student expectations do not align with prior preparation, (2) student beliefs about scholarly work lack depth, and (3) students exhibit high anxiety regarding doctoral instruction.https://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddfacultyworks/1017/thumbnail.jp

Building Community for Completion: Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Technology Integration within Dissertation Committee Collaboration

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the prevalence of technology-mediated collaboration and mentorship between dissertation committee members and doctoral student scholars. Qualitative research methods were used to explore the role of technology for collaboration and building community within dissertation committees, focusing on dissertation scholars’ perspectives. The study was based on one overarching research question: How do doctoral students describe the integration of technology for collaborating with dissertation committees? Doctoral scholar participants described the importance of technological literacy within dissertation committees, most indicating that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the importance of fluency with technology. Other participants portrayed the importance of technological literacy within dissertation committees as inevitable, regardless of the pandemic. The study found that doctoral students perceive technology-mediated collaboration as a crucial component for dissertation committee collaboration, creating opportunities for further study and exploration about whether the technological literacy was a factor in dissertation committee selection

Preach wine and serve vinegar: Public relations, relationships and doublethink

This article argues that organization-public relationships (OPR) generate challenges for PR as both a practical and theoretical discipline. The investigation is set against the backdrop of the growing pre-occupation with OPR in research and practice. The study highlights disconnections between how the field represents itself in an OPR context and the existence of particular attitudes and practices in each of these areas. It uses the Orwellian concept of doublethink as a conceptual device to tease out these tensions. These contradictions are framed as public relations doublethink and presented as critical propositions designed to illustrate the gaps that can exist between representation and reality. The article also debates the implications of these examples for the practical and theoretical development of public relations using research that considers how organizations listen to stakeholders on-line. It seeks to stimulate further debate through a new conceptualization of social media listening, as well as a set of inter-disciplinary insights concerned with the study of complex phenomenon. © 2014