Technological Tools to Support Virtual Group Projects

In today’s global, technology-driven society, educational institutions must constantly evolve in order to deliver instruction in a way that meets the ever-changing needs of students who may be geographically and demographically diverse. A variety of technologies exist that allow students to work collaboratively to complete project-based assignments online. Course management systems (CMS) such as Blackboard and D2L Brightspace (D2L) are designed to promote that collaboration. However, researchers have found that students tend to gravitate towards technologies that are familiar, rich, and synchronous (Albayrak & Yildirim, 2015; Karim & Heckman, 2005; Rowe, Bozalek, & Frantz, 2013; Wang, Woo, Quek, Yang, & Liu, M, 2012). Longitudinal, historical data from a doctoral-level online curriculum and instruction course at a Mid-Size Public Southern University was used to determine which technologies doctoral students used to facilitate group projects in the course, how the technologies were used, and their effectiveness in meeting student needs. From the data collected, the research team was able to reach conclusions, and define implications for best practice, and those are shared

Understanding the Experiences of Provisionally Admitted Black Male College Students in the State of Georgia

This article is the result of research conducted with provisionally admitted Black make students enrolled at four different public institutions in Georgia. The researcher sought to answer the following research question: What are the common perceptions of provisionally admitted Black male students that influence their academic success at state colleges and state universities with the University System of Georgia? The researcher utilized a phenomenological approach and multiple methods of data collection. This resulted in rich data that has been categorized into themes. The article concludes with implications for student affairs administrators and faculty, as well as for future research on provisionally admitted Black male college students

A Smooth Transition: A Phenomenological Approach to Understanding the Experiences of First-Time, Full-Time, Provisionally Accepted Black Male Students

This article is the result of research conducted provisionally admitted Black make students enrolled at four different public universities in the Southeast.  The researcher sought to answer the following research question: What are the lived experiences of provisionally accepted first-time, full-time Black male students within their first year at a state college and state university? Participants were selected based on having the highest and lowest Expected Family Contribution scores of the eligible population.  The researcher utilized a phenomenological approach and multiple methods of data collection.  This resulted in rich data that has been categorized into themes.  The article concludes with implications for college and university faculty and administrators, as well as for future research on provisionally admitted Black male college students. &nbsp