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Aim/Purpose Multiple barriers exist within doctoral education in the United States that can undermine the success of students, particularly for students with marginalized identities. While mentorship can provide an important form of support, it must be done in an intentional way that is mindful of issues of equity and power. Background By applying a power-conscious framework to current practices of doctoral mentorship in the U.S., we propose key considerations to help support doctoral students and shift power imbalances. Methodology As a scholarly paper, this work draws upon a comprehensive review of existing research on doctoral mentorship in the U.S. Contribution As a relatively recent development, the power-conscious framework provides an important tool to address issues of inequity that has not yet been applied to doctoral mentorship to our knowledge. Such a framework provides clear implications for mentorship relationships, institutional policies, and future research. Findings The power-conscious framework has direct applicability to and possibility for reshaping doctoral mentorship in the U.S. as well as elsewhere. Each of the six foci of the framework can be integrated with research on doctoral students to help formal and informal mentors enhance their practice. Recommendations for Practitioners Throughout our analysis, we pose questions for mentors to consider in order to reflect upon their practice and engage in further exploration. Recommendations for Researchers Research on doctoral mentorship should explicitly engage with broader dynamics of power, particularly as related to understanding the experiences of marginalized student populations. Impact on Society The demanding nature of and precarity within U.S. doctoral education leads to high rates of departure and burnout amongst students. By re-envisioning mentorship, we hope to begin a broader re-imagining of doctoral education to be more equitable and supportive of students. Future Research To examine these claims, future research should explore doctoral student mentorship relationships and how power dynamics are contained therein both within the U.S. and in international contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments around the globe are recognizing the economic ramifications of a digitally literate citizenry and implementing systemic strategies to advance digital literacy. Awareness of the growing importance of digital literacy in today's workplace coexists paradoxically with apparent foot-dragging on the part of many universities in assessment and amplification of these important competencies. This paper makes a case for digital literacy, presents models of the complex construct, and presents the results of a digital literacy assessment administered to students enrolled in a senior seminar course at a regional university in the United States. Reflection on the study results evoked our mantra that exposure does not equal understanding with regard to students' daily interaction with digital technologies. A strong case is made for comprehensive strategies that reach back to the youngest students and ensure that college graduates enter the modern workforce armed with critical technology competencies that have been termed the fourth literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-learning is becoming an increasingly important part of higher education institutions. However, instructors’ use of e-learning systems in community colleges in the United States is relatively sparse. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate some individual factors that may affect instructors’ intention to use e-learning systems in community colleges. In this study, we proposed a theoretical model predicting instructors’ intention to use e-learning systems in community colleges based on their resistance to change, perceived value of e-learning systems, computer selfefficacy, and attitude toward e-learning systems. The sample for this study included 119 (over 41% response rate) full-time, part-time, and adjunct instructors in different academic departments at a community college. Our findings indicate that the theoretical model developed was able to predict instructors’ intention to use e-learning systems. All four predictive variables have significant effects on intention to use e-learning systems. Two statistical methods were used to formulate and test predictive models: Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLR). Results of both models were consistent on resistance to change as having the greatest weight on predicting instructors’ intention to use e-learning systems, while computer self-efficacy in both analyses was found to have the least weight. We conclude the paper with a discussion, which includes a summary of the results, limitations of this research study, as well as implications for practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently colleges and universities are facing a number of problems, including ill designed curricula that do not address demands from the job market. There is also tremendous pressure from society on academic institutions to provide an education that results in guaranteed employment, especially given the soaring price of higher education. Currently, a number of academic institutions are facing the problem of grade inflation, which has resulted in the grade point average (GPA) model losing its value (Mansfield, 2001). Therefore, academic educational institutions are looking for alternative ways to provide an education that attracts students in a highly competitive world. Several US academic institutions have adopted the outcome based educational model to move away from the GPA driven model. Furthermore, accreditations organizations (such as North Central Association of Colleges and Schools) are requiring academic institutions to present a method to assess students' learning outcomes, particularly in the general education courses. The purpose of this study is to report on lessons learned from the early stages of implementing an e-portfolio assessment system using an outcome-based information technology curriculum. As a college requirement, students need to develop an e-portfolio to showcase significant work and demonstrate progress toward achieving college learning outcomes. The student e-portfolio includes a variety of digital artifacts such as projects, term papers, or case studies. The e-portfolio assessment system was developed to facilitate the assessment of student work. This system includes a repository of student work, faculty assessment criteria, and course specific learning outcomes, and allows faculty to post comments on student work. Students can then review their work and decide whether to include it in their e-portfolios. The College developed an alignment model to map all learning outcomes into courses of the curriculum. In this model, significant assignments are embedded in IT courses and are used to measure the achievement level of a particular outcome(s). In their final year, senior students present the latest version of their e-portfolios to a faculty panel and explain their choice of each piece of evidence and how it links to one or more college learning outcomes. It is anticipated that with time, student e-portfolios will become an important source of information for the College to evaluate the effectiveness of learning outcomes across the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although growing in popularity in other countries, the business professional doctorate has yet to gain traction in the U.S. Such programs, intended to offer advanced disciplinary and research training to individuals who later plan to apply that training to employment in industry, are frequently seen to be inferior to their academically-focused Ph.D. program counterparts. Furthermore, if the sole purpose of a doctorate is to develop individuals focused on producing scholarly research articles, that assessment may well be correct. We argue, however, that such a narrowly focused view of the purpose of doctoral programs is self-defeating; by exclusively focusing on scholarly research and writings, we virtually guarantee that our research will never make it into practice. The paper begins by identifying a variety of types of doctoral programs that exist globally and placing these in a conceptual framework. We then present a detailed case study of the information systems (IS) doctoral programs offered in Osnabrueck, Germany--where as many as 90% of candidates choose careers in industry in preference to academia. Finally, we propose-- supported using both conceptual arguments drawn from the study of complex informing and observed examples--that the greatest benefit of business professional doctorates may be the creation of enduring informing channels between practice and industry. Presented in this light, the business professional doctorate should be viewed as an essential part of the broader research ecology, rather than as a weak substitute for the disciplinary Ph.D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose Our study explores the factors contributing to the Imposter Phenomenon among doctoral students in the United States. Background Many studies show that Imposter Phenomenon impacts women doctoral students and students from minority groups, especially if they are enrolled in Predominantly White Institutions. Our study focuses explicitly on contributing factors to the Imposter Phenomenon among doctoral students in the United States. The study also explored how Imposter Phenomenon is related to doctoral students' academic goals and achievements. Methodology We utilized a qualitative phenomenological research design and conducted semi-structured interviews (45-90 minutes) in person and via Zoom. This study was conducted at a public research university in mid-western United States. A total of 14 (3 male and 11 female) doctoral students participated in the study. These students self-identified as White (9), African American (1), South Asian (2), mixed race (1), and Latina (1). Of the 14 students, 4 were international, and 10 were domestic. These students were from various disciplines, such as Education, Economics, Anthropology, Biology, Plant Sciences, and Engineering. Contribution The study contributes to the field of psychology and higher education and helps us better understand doctoral students' conceptions and experiences of the Imposter Phenomenon. The study provides empirical support to some of the previous claims by researchers and provides new insights related to the Imposter Phenomenon. Findings In our study, participants did not consider the Imposter Phenomenon merely a personal or internal feeling or mental condition as presented in previous studies. We found there are multiple layers of the issue, and sociocultural factors play a contributing role to the Imposter Phenomenon. In our study, we found that relations with family, siblings, peers, and faculty played a significant role in shaping our participants' sense of self and impacted how they responded to challenges in their academic life. We also noted that institutional culture impacts doctoral students' self-concept and academic performance. Female doctoral students mentioned institutional culture and prevalent sexism in STEM fields as contributing factors to the Imposter Phenomenon. Overall, gender, race, age, and mental health emerged as major contributing factors to the Imposter Phenomenon among doctoral students. Recommendations for Practitioners We recommend that higher education institutions should help doctoral students, especially students from underrepresented groups, by providing social, emotional, and economic support. To mitigate the challenges of institutional sexism, racism, and ageism, higher education institutions should consider creating peer support groups and try to foster a healthy and supportive environment for doctoral students. These groups could build on ontological inquiries to bolster student resiliency and self-perception. Also, there is a dire need for easily accessible mental health services on campuses, especially for graduate students. Recommendations for Researchers To further this line of inquiry, it is important to expand research to multicultural perspectives to understand better the Imposter Phenomenon and how it is applied and used in different cultural settings. It is also pertinent to build on the baseline work expressed here to identify factors associated with decreased senses of the Imposter Phenomenon. Impact on Society Doctoral students, if successful, can play a significant role in society's future growth. However, doctoral completion rates are currently staggeringly low, and the degree program is long. The situation is exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This impacts doctoral students' emotional, psychological, and economic well-being, and may affect their health and family relationships. Incomplete doctoral degrees can be costly for individuals and society. Higher education institutions must provide better mental health and economic support to help doctoral students succeed in their programs so they can positively contribute to society and the world. Future Research We plan to expand our study to better understand the Imposter Phenomenon among doctoral students from cross-cultural perspectives to see if the same factors exist there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the undergraduate class EIN 4933/5322 (Principles of Engineering Management) taught by Kingsley A. Reeves Jr., Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial and Management Systems (IMSE), College of Engineering at the University of South Florida. The key objective of the class was to teach management techniques to engineering students. The article explores ways in which the course could be enhanced through using technology and innovative teaching techniques and also emphasized the many pitfalls that accompanied changes to course design.

The article presents information on the online course ARH-3475, Contemporary Issues in Art, taught by Anne Jeffrey, Adjunct Professor of Art History at the University of South Florida (USF). Jeffrey used Elluminate, an online synchronous classroom technology, to conduct the entire course online. The technology has allowed her to include not only students in the class, but also guests that included a museum curator and several artists. The positive outcome of the online course had emboldened her to incorporate more field trips and other outside activities into the balance of the semester's schedule.

The article offers information on the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program launched by the College of Business at the University of South Florida headed by Academic Director Grandon Gill. Topics include the history of doctoral programs in business, the evolution and design of the USF DBA program and the USF DBA program curriculum. It also discusses several issues pertaining to the marketing of the DBA program and the results of a survey regarding the feasibility of the program.

Presentation software is an important tool for both student and professorial communicators. PowerPoint has been the standard since it was introduced in 1990. However, new "improved" software platforms are emerging. Prezi is one of these, claiming to remedy the linear thinking that underlies PowerPoint by creating one canvas and permitting the presenter to zoom in and out as each element is introduced. Users can move back and forth to display the separate elements and reflect how they fit into a larger context. As these new tools are introduced, there may be different responses to them depending on the cultural background of the user. In order to understand one such interplay, Prezi was introduced to students in a class in Norway and in the same way to a class in the U.S. The mixed method study compared the introduction of this new software tool to two undergraduate classes in Spring 2012. The two professors used the same introduction to the tool. The output was the final project presentation for the class done using the Prezi tool. Students evaluated each other's presentations on 10 attributes and answered two open-ended questions about the presentations. They also completed an 8-question self-evaluation of their or their team's presentation. The instructor/researchers also used the same questions to evaluate her class. An additional 13 questions were added to the instructor instrument. Each instructor/researcher also viewed videos of the presentations from the other class and evaluated these presentations using the same set of questions. Results showed that both sets of students used the new tool well despite minimal direct instruction. Most made their presentations less linear than they would have been in PowerPoint. They generally used the Prezi technique of grouping elements and constructing a pathway between groups. Most inserted multimedia such as photos, videos, and links. Some especially appreciated the Prezi feature of more than one user being able to work on a presentation at the same time. Peers liked each other's presentations and found them engaging. However, open-ended comments were more directed to actual content than use of Prezi. In student feedback the answer to the first attribute, being engaging, appeared to create a halo for most of the other attributes. In evaluating their peers' presentations, the U.S. students were significantly more positive than the Norwegian ones, reinforcing the belief that the American culture is well above the global norm in optimism. Norwegians were lengthier in their open-ended feedback to their peers and focused more on content and style than the Americans. In self-evaluations, Americans had more to say than Norwegians. They stressed the creative aspect of Prezi whereas Norwegians highlighted presentations being tidy and calm. Males were higher raters on average than females. The researchers were less positive than the students, reflecting stricter standards than students. Researcher recommendations for teaching Prezi are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the introductory programming course, ISM3232 of Grandon Gill, Associate Professor of Information Systems & Decision Sciences (IS&DS) at the University of South Florida. Two disciplines tended to focus on teaching computer-related concepts such as computer science (CS) and management information systems (MIS). Forty percent of all computer-related degrees were offered through MIS programs and emphasized using information technology (IT) to solve business problems and the managerial challenges resulting from such uses.