Publication Date

2006

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Gyant, LaVerne, 1950-

Degree Name

Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education

LCSH

Alternative education--Illinois--Public opinion; Universities and colleges--Illinois--Faculty--Attitudes

Abstract

This study examines experiences of faculty working with nontraditional degree programs and their perceptions of the quality of select programs in the state of Illinois. These programs--the Board of Governors (BOG), Board of Trustees (BOT), University Without Walls (UWW), and the Individualized Curriculum Program (ICP) —are offered at the following institutions: Chicago State University (CSU), Eastern Illinois University (EIU), Governors State University (GSU), Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), and Western Illinois University (WIU). The most important factor that makes this study significant is that it describes the impact on the institutions’ philosophy and their ability to change, survive, and thrive. The study examined prior experiences, educational ideologies, and perceptions of those faculty who educate the nontraditional (24 years or older) student, and how those experiences may have changed and created new norms, values, and psychosocial interactions among others within their environment. Employing the community college student experiences questionnaire (CCESQ) instrument as a reference and Halpin’s 1963 pioneering work of mapping the domain of the organizational climate of schools, a 42-item instrument was developed. The instrument, a self-administered survey measuring characteristic differences formed from faculty experiences with nontraditional degree programs, was mailed to 207 participants, of whom 129 responded, a 62.3% response rate. Variables included experience with students, other faculty, and chairpersons; institutional values and norms; policies; and procedures. The data indicated that faculty perceptions of their experiences were positive. The results of the study reiterate other data in the literature, which indicate a strong attainment by nontraditional students in the programs studied. Among all faculty members surveyed, there was a slightly higher than average sense of accomplishment working with the program and the students. However, for faculty in both rural and urban areas, there were positive correlates between the two variables—perception of their experiences and of the quality of the degree. In total, the data indicated an overall positive perception. Alternately, results contradicted the investigator’s bias, which had posited a negative response in perceived quality of the degree.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages [137]-144).

Extent

xiv, 187 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Share

COinS