18525 research outputs found
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Beyond Retention: Reimagining Academic Coaching for Professional Success
No full textLeadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThe capstone report, Beyond Retention: Reimagining Academic Coaching for Professional Success, examines the coaching program within the University of Southern California’s Master of Public Administration Online (MPAOL) program. Authored by Nicolle Halbur, Dennis Eger, and Nicholas Graham of Vanderbilt University, under the guidance of Dr. Daphne Penn, the study critically analyzes the current alumni-based peer coaching model and its effectiveness in supporting second-year graduate students in their professional development. Originally designed to aid students’ transition into online learning and improve retention, the coaching program has diminishing engagement throughout the second year and lacks support for career readiness.
Using a mixed-methods phenomenological approach, the authors derived insights from benchmark studies conducted at 14 universities, interviews with USC faculty, and surveys completed by 114 program alums. Findings reveal five critical issues: role confusion, lack of formal training, inconsistent use of coaches, misalignment with student needs, and insufficient support for employability. The study introduces the Halbur-Eger-Graham (HEG) conceptual framework to redirect the program toward career development through three distinct coaching phases tied to professional identity, skill development, and networking.
Recommendations include clarifying coaching roles, offering formal training aligned with career development theory, and implementing a structured second-year coaching model focused on employability. The study positions the MPAOL coaching program to lead a next-generation approach in graduate-level academic coaching by aligning with professional growth and post-graduation success
Principles of Provision: Understanding Occupational Enactment and Provider Activism in Substance-Use Treatment for Pregnant People
No full textAs reproductive politics have grown increasingly volatile, the prosecution of pregnant people for their behavior during pregnancy has become a growing issue. Healthcare providers often operate as mandatory reporters in these situations, complicating their role as medical professionals. In this study, I utilize a Millsian framework to explore the ways in which biography, social structure, and history impact the entrance of mission-driven providers into pregnancy care for people with substance use issues, and the degree to which these providers engage in forms of advocacy when working within institutional and policy constraints. First, I outline the biographical pathways preceding their entrance into their profession. Next, I examine how they navigate their current occupational landscape and the ways in which competing patient logics complicate patient care. Finally, I explore the degree to which these providers seek to advance health equity and social justice by engaging in occupational activism within the workplace in spite of institutional and policy constraints. I find that, overall, these individuals operate as mission-driven professionals in the healthcare field and seek to deliver high-quality care that centers patient rehabilitation rather than punishment. This research is one step in uncovering the micro-level interactions that result in population-level health inequalities in reproductive health
Leveraging the Gel-to-Sol Transition of Physically Crosslinked Thermoresponsive Polymer Hydrogels to Enable Reactions Induced by Lowering Temperature
No full textMuch work has been done on the use of heating to trigger reactions via the temperature-dependent removal of a barrier or constraint separating reagents. Far less work, however, has been done on the use of cooling to achieve a similar goal. Numerous applications, such as those involving components or materials susceptible to persistent low temperatures and cases in which energy for heating is not available would benefit from this inverse approach. Hence, in this study we explore whether physically crosslinked hydrogels can be reliably used as thermoresponsive constraints that allow reagents to react only upon cooling. We achieve this by loading reagents into adjacent blocks of thermoresponsive hydrogel and showing that these reagents can only react with each other after the temperature of the hydrogel falls below its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Above the LCST, the reagents remain sequestered in separate gels and no reaction occurs; this “OFF” state is stable for extended periods. When the system is allowed to cool, the hydrogels liquify and flow into each other, allowing mixing of the embedded reagents (“ON” state). We tune the hydrogels’ LCSTs using NaCl, quantify the NaCl’s tuning effect using rheometry, and determine that reactions are triggered reproducibly at temperatures similar to the tuned LCSTs. We also demonstrate generalizability of the concept by exploring situations involving radically different reaction types. This concept therefore constitutes a new approach to autonomous material behavior based on cooling
Unsettling Black Servitude in Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea
No full textIt would be impossible to tell the story of Jean Rhys’s 1966 novel Wide Sargasso Sea without its Black servant characters, yet these characters have historically figured very little in existing scholarship on the novel. Self-consciously written as a prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), Wide Sargasso Sea is populated with servants whose movements, laughter, and behavior both unsettle and compel the cautious scrutiny of the novel’s white narrators. While Christophine—one of the novel’s most prominent servant figures—certainly stands out as a servant to both the narrators and readers of Wide Sargasso Sea, I hope in my paper to complicate readings of the character by considering how she functions in a relational context with the novel’s other figures of Black servitude which, in turn, I argue, enables investigation into the ways in which Wide Sargasso Sea represents relations of servitude in the first years of Emancipation. In this way, paying attention to the array of servant figures surrounding Rhys’s white narrators, I argue, dilates an understanding of Wide Sargasso Sea beyond simply, or merely, a reinterpretation of Jane Eyre from the perspective of its villainized madwoman in the attic; it also reveals the novel to be both a story about what happened in the Caribbean after the British Empire abolished slavery, and a record of imperial and colonial subjects affectively reorienting themselves within a disintegrating hegemonic order
Computational Optimal Transport for Learning from Geometrically Structured Data
No full textThe increasing prominence of geometrically structured data in machine learning has driven the need for principled methods to compare and analyze such data effectively. From molecular graphs in drug discovery to brain imaging data in neuroscience, many domains require techniques that respect the underlying geometric relationships in data. Optimal transport (OT) provides a powerful mathematical framework for comparing probability distributions while preserving geometric structures, making it a natural tool for learning from structured data. However, classical OT methods often face computational and theoretical challenges when applied to complex data modalities, particularly when distributions lie on non-Euclidean spaces or require partial alignment.
This thesis explores computational advancements in OT for structured data analysis, focusing on three key directions: (1) the development of efficient transport distances tailored for probability measures on spherical domains—the simplest type of manifold, (2) the extension of Gromov-Wasserstein distances to handle partial correspondences between distributions lying in different metric spaces, and (3) the linearization of this extension to improve computational scalability while preserving its ability to model partial alignments. These contributions provide new metrics, algorithms, and theoretical insights that broaden the applicability of OT-based techniques in machine learning. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods across a range of real-world machine learning applications, including self-supervised learning, representation learning, variational inference, and shape retrieval and interpolation. By advancing computational OT, this thesis contributes to the broader goal of geometric machine learning, enabling more structured and interpretable methods for learning from complex data
Inquiry into the Onboarding and Professional Development Programs at the Museum of the Cherokee People: Achieving ᏙᎯ (To-hi) Through Balancing Cultural Sovereignty and Operational Excellence
No full textLeadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThe Museum of the Cherokee People (MOTCP), a 501(c)3 nonprofit and one of the longest-operating tribal museums in the United States, has undergone a fundamental transformation under Executive Director Shana Bushyhead Condill's leadership to serve the Cherokee community first while bringing visitors along, shifting from a tourist-focused facility to a Cherokee-centered cultural hub. The study investigated how effectively MOTCP's onboarding and professional development programs balance Cherokee cultural sovereignty with operational excellence, examining employee perceptions across Cherokee citizen and non-citizen subgroups and identifying ways leadership might better align programs with Cherokee values. Using a mixed-methods approach grounded in the Two-Eyed Seeing framework and the Cherokee concept of ᏙᎯ (To-hi), researchers conducted document analysis, employee surveys (66% response rate), staff interviews, focus groups, and Cherokee Elder consultations to evaluate programs through both Cultural Sovereignty and Operational Excellence lenses. The inquiry revealed a "knowledge-practice gap" where employees demonstrated strong cultural alignment (rating Cherokee values understanding at 4.2/5.0) but felt significantly less prepared for technical job responsibilities (2.89/5.0), with individual employee initiative masking systematic vulnerabilities in institutional knowledge transfer and highlighting the need for differentiated approaches addressing distinct needs of Cherokee citizen versus non-citizen employees
Workforce Development in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy
No full textLeadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThis capstone project examines the workforce development challenges faced by an Alabama-based therapy provider that offers Applied Behavior Analysis and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder. Despite offering essential therapeutic services, the organization experiences high turnover, gaps in professional development, and inconsistencies in onboarding. The project was structured as a quality improvement study to identify organizational practices that influence staff satisfaction and retention. It incorporated multiple data sources and engagement phases to ensure the depth and validity of the findings. The study employed a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative research strategies. The data highlighted various misalignments within the organization and identified opportunities for improvement
Appalachian Environmental Inequality: Examining the Changing Terrain of Community Composition and Industrial PBT Emissions, 2000-2020
No full textThe emissions of toxic chemicals—and particularly persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals (PBTs)—by industrial actors have been a consistent focus for environmental justice and environmental sociology scholars. This study centers Appalachia as a context for the formation and continuation of environmental inequality through a critical environmental justice (CEJ) framework (Pellow 2017) as a region associated largely with extractive and polluting industrial presence. Through descriptive analysis of demographic change in the region, assessment of disproportionality in PBT emission, and modeling demographic characteristics’ relationship to PBT emissions, this dissertation presents a praxis-oriented application of CEJ to identify potential or existent sites of environmental inequality generated by PBT emitting industries in Appalachia from 2000 to 2020
From Fellowship to Home: A Mixed-Methods Study of Reentry and Impact Plan Implementation Among Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows
No full textLeadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThe Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship at Vanderbilt University brings accomplished mid-career professionals from around the world to the United States for a year of leadership development, professional collaboration, and academic enrichment. While the program provides substantial support throughout the Fellowship year, it currently has limited mechanisms for systematically understanding alumni experiences or assessing the complex reentry conditions Fellows encounter when implementing change after returning home. This mixed-methods study, drawing on confidential surveys and semi-structured interviews, examined how Fellows experience reentry and which factors shape their ability to carry out their impact plans after repatriation. Findings indicate that Fellows return with strong abilities, high motivation, and a deep commitment to serving their communities; however, external opportunity constraints, particularly employer support, funding availability, and sociopolitical conditions, play a defining role in implementation outcomes. Reverse culture shock preparation emerged as a notable program strength, and alumni expressed interest in more structured and sustained engagement following the Fellowship year
“You Gotta Work:” Sensemaking and Support Strategies in a Career and Technical Education Dual Enrollment Program
No full textLeadership Policy and Organizations Department capstone projectTennessee has set a remarkable example in expanding career and technical education (CTE) access. Over 401 public high schools in the state enroll over 100,000 students in CTE (Williams, 2023), and educational legislation led by Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly has awarded over 59 million in grants in 2024 (Tennessee Lottery, 2025). In 2022, the state revised DEG regulations so that students can complete their first TCAT credential for free and expanded access to all secondary school students (College for Tennessee, n.d.).
Considering Tennessee’s remarkable investment in CTE dual enrollment (DE), this research project seeks to 1) identify the strategies and practices that high school leaders and staff utilize to support students in CTE DE, and 2) understand how school leaders and staff use sensemaking to interpret and implement CTE DE policies.
The research uses a qualitative approach to understand high school leader and staff perspectives at two schools within the Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) District. We interviewed high school counselors, college and career readiness (CCR) coaches, CTE instructors, and district/state leaders. Our analyses identified four strategies and practices that staff and leaders currently utilize: they 1) focus on soft skills; 2) recognize parents as underutilized stakeholders; 3) tailor advising and teaching to students’ interests and goals; and 4) help undocumented students and their families overcome a unique set of challenges. We also identified four understandings of sensemaking that school leaders and staff utilized to interpret and implement CTE DE policies: 1) relying heavily on school counselors; 2) drawing upon personal or professional experiences; 3) creating a school- and district-wide culture of college and career readiness; and 4) emphasizing the invaluable role of CCR coaches on the student support team.
We believe the following four recommendations will build upon the strategies, practices, and understandings we identified in our findings: 1) remove barriers of entry for undocumented students to receive CTE DE credit; 2) support the continued employment of CCR coaches and expand the role to other high schools within MNPS; 3) increase parent involvement in the college and career goals of their students; and 4) cultivate a collaborative sensemaking ecosystem.
While our research explored the ways that school leaders and staff experienced the growth of CTE DE, focusing specifically on sensemaking and support strategies, we suggest several examples of potential future research, including 1) a needs assessment to identify gaps in student services that may prevent student enrollment in career and technical education dual enrollment by role with a particular focus on the traditional school counselor and CCR coach; 2) an explanatory study on recently graduated DE students who later matriculated at TCAT to understand what influenced them to enroll; and 3) a document analysis of advising, enrollment, and instructional guidance and protocols, to assess alignment between state, district, school-level policy.Peabody College of Education and Human DevelopmentDepartment of Leadership Policy and Organization