Theses and Dissertations - Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE)

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Cultivating Clinical Judgment in Pharmacological Decision Making Through Reflection on Practice
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Davis, Rebecca Gallagher; Wood, Felecia G.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Registered nurses practicing across diverse clinical settings all spend significant time providing and making judgments about pharmacological therapies. However, traditional methods of teaching pharmacology have rarely focused toward clinical application of content. This study investigated whether the inclusion of reflective debriefing after pharmacology activities impacted clinical judgment of nursing students during provision of pharmacological therapies in the clinical learning environment. A sample of 168 senior, prelicensure, Bachelor of Science in nursing student participants were assigned to either the intervention or control groups. Three measurements of clinical judgment were obtained for each participant by faculty data collectors over a twelve-week critical care rotation using Lasater’s (2007) Clinical Judgment Rubric. Students in the intervention group participated in two hour-long sessions of reflective debriefing about their pharmacology decisions, one between each measurement. Statistically significant changes in clinical judgment were observed between the first and second and first and third measurements for the full cohort. However, while measurements for the intervention group were observed to increase more over the semester than measurements for the control groups, changes were not found to be statistically significant. This study addresses the recommendation for nursing education research to make conclusions based on measurement of learning, rather than relying on student perception. Findings are congruent with prior studies that measured statistically significant changes in clinical judgment after one semester of learning, and support Tanner’s (2006) theory that multiple opportunities for reflection are necessary to foster clinical judgment.
Let Me Speak: Poetic Expressions of Juvenile Delinquents as Experienced by African American Adolescent Males
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Whiting, Teresa A; McKnight, Douglas; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This is a narrative qualitative study that utilized critical pedagogy as praxis and poetry as method to investigate how three African American males between the ages of 18 and 22 experienced juvenile delinquency in the Deep South and how their narratives engaged with the broader educational narratives on the school-to-prison pipeline. Through a non-traditional method, this study created a less exploitive space where the participants were free to narrate and co-analyze their stories without the sole interpretation of the researcher. The liberatory praxis space fostered through a workshop format provided a space for the once labeled juvenile delinquent and legally silenced voices of these young men to be raised to critical and emancipatory voices. Voices that questioned whether or not the circumstances(s) that contributed to their involvement with the juvenile justice system was attributed to an environment impregnated with racism that funnels the school-to-prison pipeline, and not just poor personal choice(s) often attributed to natural adolescent mischief. Through the collaboration of alternative and conventional research methods this study provided a closer perspective of the experiences of African American males who were encapsulated by the juvenile court system, knowledge necessary to understanding how through racial disparities, zero tolerance policies, and formal labeling the juvenile justice system funnels the school-to-prison pipeline. Their autobiographical poems are condensed but rich narratives of how they experienced juvenile delinquency and even now, as adult Black men, still continue to experience the impact of juvenile delinquency.
Town and Gown: Examining Interactions Between Colleges and Communities
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Copeland, Nathan B.; Holley, Karri A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The relationship between a city and the local college cannot be underestimated. Each group has something that the other can benefit from and rather than giving and taking, a true town and gown relationship is designed around sharing. A college is much more than an institution that promotes the sharing of knowledge and creation of new ideas. Colleges are much like cities. They have large budgets, employee pools and tremendous infrastructures to manage. When town and gown relationship is firing on all cylinders, the two truly become one instead of there being a city within a city. This study went into detail with a specific town and gown relationship between Magnolia University and the City of Opportunity. Though the initial outlook on this relationship was not strong, a new president came in to lead a charge of community engagement and city leaders were not only open to the idea, they embraced the relationship. Interviews were conducted among officials from each side to better understand the history, the present and the potential future of the relationship between Magnolia University and the City of Opportunity.
Examining Campus Based Multicultural Centers At Predominantly White Institutions
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Malone, Shalon V; Holley, Karri; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Campus based multicultural centers at predominantly White institutions have the surmountable task of both supporting marginalized identities and educating the majority White community on diversity and social justice issues. As a unit, often placed under student affairs, multicultural centers are the only unit that is tasked with a dual position of support and education for the entire campus community. While there is an abundance of research on Black cultural centers, diversity education, and on certain populations within historically marginalized identities, there is little to no research on the departments and units that are charged with all of the components listed. This study examined multicultural centers at predominantly White institutions, including their programs, services, missions, and structures to gain an understanding of what made these centers successful and how multicultural centers function within this unique dual position.
Are They As Engaged As They Say? A Study of Anticipated and Actual Engagement of First-Year Freshmen
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Gorman, Brian Jacob; Laanan, Frankie Santos; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Not only is achieving a four-year degree beneficial for individual students, keeping students enrolled until graduation is beneficial for the institution as well. Decreases in state funding of higher education as well as the increasing number of states having adopted some kind of performance based funding (PFB) model, have resulted in many institutions relying on enrollment and retention for fiscal purposes. Because attrition rates are highest during students’ first year of college, it is important for institutions to find ways of engaging first-time, full-time freshmen in educationally purposeful activities early in their college career to aid in retention efforts. Early-enrollment instruments and the use of data analytics can be useful in identifying student risk factors that may lead to their not returning to college for their second year. Institutions can utilize early-enrollment instruments not only to identify risk factors, but also to create a holistic plan for college success during their first year. This study investigated first-time, full-time freshmen participating in a special admission program at a large, research institution in the South, exploring the influence of background characteristics on student anticipated engagement prior to enrollment, and actual engagement in the first semester, and how background characteristics, anticipated engagement, and actual advising and Student Life engagement predict first-term GPA, first-term credits earned, and continued enrollment in the next consecutive term. Findings indicate significant differences in anticipated and actual engagement by background characteristics, and the background characteristics, and anticipated and actual engagement can predict student success measures such as GPA and credits earned.
Do You Hear What I Hear?: Listening to the Voices of Teachers in Urban Segregated Settings
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Ross, Donna Martin; Erevelles, Nirmala; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The purpose of this study was to examine the practices of teachers in designated failing segregated urban setting. Many students in poor urban settings live in generational poverty and do not have visible role models to emulate. Most are overexposed to a Hip-Hop philosophy that supports misogyny, over-sexualized masculinity, and violence. There is a gap in the research on teachers' perspectives from this setting and how their practices are actualized in the classroom. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews, observations, post-observation interviews, and document analysis of five teachers working in a southeastern segregated middle school. The teachers told tales reflecting times when their values conflicted with that of the school and how they learned to maneuver around them. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy was utilized as a framework to analyze the practices of teachers. Teachers in this setting bartered with their students and cashed in on students' cultural capital in strategic ways. This allowed them to teach them content while also engaging them in discussions about critiquing problems and strengths associated with Hip-Hop music and culture. Although teachers did not verbalize it, they were able to delicately integrate art via Hip-Hop culture into their curriculum, and support the overall goal of the school while focusing on needed standards. Educators need to prioritize the needs of students above policies and mandates for educators in urban settings. The needs of the students are paramount in these settings. The academic needs must be met, but we must also understand that there are ways to honor students' cultural assets.
The Incarcerated Student in Alabama: An Exploratory Study of Student Engagement at a Technical College
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Weldon, Lee Williams; Laanan, Frankie S.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The incarceration rate in the United States is slowly declining after decades of record growth. The result of this decline is a growing number of formerly incarcerated individuals reentering society. It is known that by participating in education while incarcerated, individuals are 28% less likely to recidivate following release (Bozick, Steele, Davis, & Turner, 2018). Alabama’s recidivism rate in 2015 was 29.3%, with approximately 3,149 out of 10,715 released individuals returning to prison (Alabama Department of Corrections, 2018). Most often the measurement of successful educational programing is based on outcomes of recidivism rates and job placement without regard to the benefits of student engagement and the success that comes from the academic environment. While much is known about student engagement in community colleges and four-year institutions, little is known about the implications of engagement for incarcerated students in a technical college setting. This exploratory quantitative study sought to explore incarcerated student engagement in career and technical education (CTE) by utilizing a new survey instrument, the Incarcerated Student Engagement Questionnaire (ISEQ), to systematically collect data in the areas of program engagement, academic engagement, and student aspirations. The results indicated that students enrolled in CTE classes through the technical college exhibited high levels of engagement. Factors of engagement were predictive of overall student satisfaction. Additionally, engagement factors were predictive of students’ perception of courses inspiring them to think in new ways.
Power of Accreditation in U.S. Higher Education
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Barrett, Albertha; Laanan, Frankie S.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The U.S. Department of Education (DOED) annually provides over $125 billion in financial assistance to help students pursue higher education. Accreditation assures that postsecondary institutions with access to federal student aid provide a quality education to students (GAO-18-5, 2017; Phillips & Kinser, 2018). Given the level of students’ and taxpayers’ investment in higher education, it is critical that the accreditation system effectively provide the assurance of academic quality. Yet there is a lack of knowledge of how accreditation policies and procedures are used in meeting the goals of quality assurance and improvement for all higher education institutions, as well as fulfill federal requirements. This three-article qualitative study aims to broaden the understanding of institutional accreditation at higher education institutions by examining accreditation discourses of one regional accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Additionally, the study aims to fill the gap in research studies that explore the U.S. higher education accreditation system. The purpose is to provide policymakers, college administrators, faculty, staff, current and prospective students, and other constituents with useful information to promote, better understand, and better support U.S. postsecondary education. Such understanding is valuable to institutional leaders to aid in the development of strategies for meeting academic quality standards and effective implementation or enhancement of quality improvement programs in support of their institutional mission.
The Place in Which I Fit: Culturally Based Organizations and the Development of Cultural Wealth for Historically Marginalized Undergraduate Women At a Predominantly White Institution
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Martin, Tamaica S.; Laanan, Frankie S.; Bray, Nathaniel; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
College participation rates of women with marginalized identities have doubled in the last 30 years, yet their college completion rates do not compare to their White counterparts. While this is an issue faced by many marginalized populations, much of the research has focused on the equity gaps of minoritized men. With minoritized women becoming a greater portion of the higher education population, more attention needs to be paid on the success and well-being of these women. Social capital, proposed by Bourdieu (1986), has shown to be an important success factor, as belonging to certain networks provides greater access to information, social support, and resources; however, this concept overlooks other assets marginalized people may have. Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework offers an alternate view. Informed by social capital, it also considers critical race theory, intersectionality, gender and migrant studies, and sociology, and it challenges the idea that capital is limited to dominant groups. This research utilized interpretive qualitative methods to gain a better understanding of how historically marginalized women experience college and develop and utilize cultural wealth through culturally based organizations while attending a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). This study views how minoritized undergraduate women leverage aspirational, navigational, social, linguistic, familial, and resistance capital while participating in a culturally based organization through an anti-deficit lens. The research found that the participants utilized cultural wealth in all categories, with a particular emphasis in the areas of familial and social capital. The findings of this research add to the literature, and can be useful in the development of policy, resource allocation, and programming that support improved campus integration, institutional satisfaction, and post-college success for minoritized women.
Student Veterans with Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress: Their Higher Education Experience At the University of Alabama
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Thayer, Gina; Bray, Nathaniel J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
As the Global War on Terror began and developed from 2001 to present, there has been a continued persistence of multiple deployments for many service members, which has eventually led to greater cohorts of service members leaving the military, and a continued increase of veterans enrolling in colleges and universities to use their military related education benefits. There has also been a shift in the perception of student veterans related to mental health; one of the greatest predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder in service members is exposure to combat. Within the state of Alabama, we are also now seeing the effects of combat among veterans who have transitioned to student life and the unique needs and characteristics of this population.Through a descriptive qualitative study, this research examined the experience of student veterans who have been diagnosed with, or self-identify as having symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, while attending the University of Alabama. The overall findings of the study provided insight into better understanding the student veterans’ experience at the University of Alabama and were greatly consistent with findings from previous studies focused on student veterans. Two aspects of the findings of this study that sets apart this research is the focus on posttraumatic stress symptoms and the overall influence of a global pandemic across higher education; from these findings, five themes were derived. From the findings, recommendations for future research and implications for practice were identified to include professional development and sensitivity training for faculty and staff; create targeted new student orientations for student veterans; focus counseling center efforts on veteran needs; and provide formal campus opportunities for student veterans to engage with other students outside of the classroom in a social setting. Due to the pandemic many students were shifted to a method of course and program delivery that was outside of their preference and campus activities and meeting spaces were either slowed dramatically or restricted all together. It would be beneficial to conduct research on campus, in person, and have the opportunity to be immersed in the student veteran culture and environment.
Food Insecurity in the Land of Plenty: a Study of Dekalb County, Alabama
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Barnett, Jennifer M; Petrovic, John E.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
ABSTRACTObjective: The purpose of this study is to understand the issue of food insecurity in DeKalb County, Alabama. By focusing on previous studies of food insecurity and doing interviews with locals in the community, I address how they understand, cope with, and experience food insecurity. I investigated how people experience food insecurity and how people understand the problem of food insecurity. I also interviewed people working as volunteers in various roles, as interventions of food insecurity. Methods: As a researcher, interviews, observations, and previous literature on the topic show me how local meal providers determine what they serve their families, in addition to the reality of access to foods. Some of the issues I examined include: How does food insecurity affect households in DeKalb County, Alabama, specifically Valley Head and Hammondville, Alabama? Results: The importance of food nutrition and food insecurity are not always a question of choice. Each participant from diverse backgrounds stated access (location proximity and transportation) and money is how they choose the foods they eat and feed their families. All ten participants are knowledgeable about what is considered “healthy foods” by USDA standards. Time, money, and convenience ultimately are the deciding factors in consumption. Conclusions: While local food movements help with the issue of food insecurity, more still needs to be done. The root cause of food insecurity is poverty. By examining the realities of poverty, what it feels like to be poor in Alabama, and the culture of poverty in the state, my research shows that social and political policies must be changed to help the community.
#Activism Amplified, Action Required: a Qualitative Case Study of One Institution's Response to a Student-Led Social Media Campaign
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) West, Keaton Elyse; Holley, Karri; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Student activism has been part of the American college experience since the beginning of American higher education (Thelin, 2004). American college students participated in physical demonstrations and protests throughout the history of higher education in the United States. College students continue to protest for their concerns and issues on campus today. However, social media and technology changed how American college students engage in student activism and activist behaviors. Technology and social media platforms give college students open access to information processing and sharing. More specifically, social media creates opportunities for students to engage in activism in a digital space. Due to the rapid nature of information sharing through social media, institutions of higher education choose how to respond to student-led social media campaigns. This qualitative study was conducted to learn about how one institution responded to a student-led social media campaign calling the institution to take action to improve the process in which sexual misconduct is handled on campus. Document analysis, participant interviews, and member checking focus groups were the data sources selected for this study. The data collected is used to examine how one institution responded to a social media campaign against campus sexual violence and to better understand why the institution responded the way that the institution did. Various factors come into play when responding in these types of situations and administrators must know their institutions and rely on guidance and feedback from internal campus experts and external organizations in order to respond.
The Effect of Transformational School Leadership on Data-Informed Instruction and Student Achievement
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Neal, Beverly Cheri; Sun, Jingping; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The purpose of the study was to better understand the extent to which middle school principals’ transformational leadership styles effect teachers’ data-informed instruction, the influence in which teachers’ data-informed instruction effects middle school student achievement, and the extent to which transformational leaders’ effect student achievement through data-informed instruction. Therefore, for this study, survey data was collected using Kenneth Leithwood’s Transformational School Leadership Survey as well as Jingping Sun’s Data-Informed Instruction Survey. Additionally, this study used Scantron performance data for sixth-grade math to determine the effects of transformational school leaders on student achievement through data-informed instruction. The results showed that transformational school leadership has no effect on middle school teachers’ data-informed instruction and middle school teachers’ data-informed instruction has no significant effect on student achievement with socioeconomic status controlled. The study also showed that transformational school leadership has no statistically significant effect on student achievement through teachers’ data-informed instruction. The results of this study help us understand the extent to which transformational school leadership effects student achievement through teachers’ data-informed instruction. It also provides knowledge that will help us better educate aspiring leaders making them effective transformational leaders in schools.
Examining the Role of Technology in Bullying Prevention in Areas That Are Unsupervised in Middle Schools: a Multiple Case Study
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Chappell, Beverly Annette; Denham, André R.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
ABSTRACTThe purpose of this multiple case study was to explore and describe the role of technology-based prevention and intervention services used to reduce bullying behaviors in areas that are unsupervised in middle schools. The framework that supported this study was the social-ecological model because it is a model of prevention which helps to explain violence on four levels: individual, relationship, community, and societal. This study was based upon these three objectives: (1) what technology-based prevention and intervention services are being used to help reduce bullying behaviors in areas that are unsupervised in middle schools; (2) how do school personnel assess the effectiveness of these services; and (3) how do school personnel describe their experiences with the technology-based prevention and intervention services used to help reduce bullying behaviors in areas that are unsupervised in middle schools? Twelve participants who work closely with students and who play a vital role in dealing with student discipline daily were selected from four middle schools. The qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo12 Plus. By exploring the environment of the school personnel through lived experiences and their perceptions, this qualitative case study provided a framework for future studies to gain valuable information. The data show bullying does exist in unsupervised areas in middle schools, awareness and use of technology-based prevention or intervention services were inconsistent, and technology was not the direct source of bullying or cyberbullying. Keywords: bullying, bully, culture, cyberbullying, technology, unsupervised areas, victim
Correlation of low energy electrical measurements with the second breakdown characteristics of semiconductor devices
(University of Alabama Libraries, 1973) Friday, Edward Carney; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Thriving Or Simply Surviving? an Examination of Black Women in STEM at a PWI
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Wallace, Melinda Ann; Laanan, Frankie S.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Black women majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) experience a number of emotions as they navigate spaces and seek their identity. Black women experience greater challenges when striving for their sense of belonging while at PWIs than at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) (Shavers & Moore, 2014). Precollege factors such as the middle school experience (King & Pringle, 2019), the high school experience (McGee & Bentley, 2017), family (Hannon, Woodside, Pollard, & Roman, 2016), and religion (Patton & McClure, 2009) contribute to Black women’s mentality and overall sense of belonging. Subsequently, the campus climate, peers, and faculty influence the level of engagement and adjustment, ultimately aiding in students’ persistence or causing them to mask their identities and identify alternative ways to cope. Invoked by Critical Race Feminist, the Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework was utilized to explore the experiences of this group of students. Through semi-structured interviews of twenty-three Black female undergraduate STEM students, experiences that contribute to success and hinder progress were examined. The themes that emerged from this qualitative study were decision to pursue a STEM major, method to thrive, big picture mentality, and simply surviving. Salient findings include the importance of social interactions both inside and outside of the classroom with peers, faculty, and advisors to cultivate belonging. This study will promote efforts to improve outcomes of the whole Black female student through consideration of influences on STEM persistence rates.
Student Engagement: Perspectives of Online Students in Higher Education
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Blakey, Carla Hugg; Major, Claire H.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The number of students enrolling in both online programs and online courses is continuing to rise. Accordingly, educators want to know how these students can learn and succeed in this environment. The notion of student engagement has been connected to student learning, determination, and gratification. While research on student engagement is plentiful, there is no one explicit consensus of what student engagement is, or is not, among the findings. Similarly, studies on student engagement have yet to provide a distinct understanding of what student engagement is in online education. Remedying this is critical as educators must understand exactly how to create, augment, and advance engaging experiences for online students.This dissertation is an investigation into the concept of student engagement and online learning in higher education. The purpose of this qualitative, three-article dissertation was to discover and understand features and experiences of student engagement as described by online students. Two descriptive qualitative studies, paired with a qualitative synthesis of literature, found that online students value and desire engagement, although it may be experienced differently in online settings. This dissertation presents student engagement from four different angles: behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and agentic. The studies, collectively, provide a clearer understanding of student engagement from the perspective of online education’s key beneficiaries: the students. This dissertation offers several implications relevant to educators, administrators, and policymakers, and suggests several areas of consideration for future research on student engagement in online education.
Let Me Be Professionally Queer: Experiences of Queer, Feminine Subjectivities in LGBTQIA+ Advocacy Roles in American Higher Education
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Smith, Elizabeth Ashley; Major, Claire; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
With the growth of LGBTQIA+ services as a functional area in Student Affairs has come an influx of research relating to best practices for promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion, support, and sense of belonging on college campuses (Kortegast & Van der Toorn, 2018; Sanlo, Rankin, & Schoenberg, 2002). Despite the growth in this field of practice and research, there is still little inquiry into the work life and conditions of individuals serving LGBTQIA+ populations on college campuses. In addition, there is tangential research that suggests that a significant percentage of people working in LGBTQIA+ advocacy and support roles on college campuses embody feminine subjectivities because these roles tend to require significant care giving and emotional labor from staff (Kortegast & Van der Toorn, 2018; Pritchard & McChesney, 2018).This intersectional, qualitative study seeks to better understand the experiences of queer people with feminine subjectivities serving LGBTQIA+ populations in their college or university. Through a queer, feminist, intersectional lens, this study uses qualitative interviews and autoethnographic data to investigate the experiences, working conditions, and identity-based nuances of the day-to-day labor of queer people with feminine subjectivities in LGBTQIA+ advocacy in American higher education. Specifically, this study considers the ways in which concepts of invisible labor, chosen family and kinship, trauma, marginalization and discrimination, and varying levels of institutional support effect how queer LGBTQIA+ advocacy practitioners with feminine subjectivities navigate institutional spaces and experience their roles on campus.
Exploring the Impact of Digital Limitations on Digital Effectiveness for Students in a Virtual Learning Environment
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Williams, Florence O.; Denham, André R.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Virtual learning has grown to become a needed and viable option for teaching and learning in secondary education settings. Students and teachers can engage and share with each other within a few clicks. As virtual learning grows as a popular option to share learning experiences using computers and the Internet, the problem surrounding inequalities of access still plague our society. Those inequalities are formally known as the digital divide. As Internet access and the use of information technology have increased, the topic of the digital divide has evolved to focus on addressing digital limitations of access, behavior, and cognition and how they affect digital effectiveness. Using data from participants in the supplemental virtual learning program in Alabama, this study examined how access to Internet and computer technology, behavioral limitations of personal attitudes and motivations, and cognitive limitations of personal experiences and capabilities affect the digital effectiveness of their virtual learning experience. Results showed that there are relationships between certain demographic variables to access limitations, behavioral limitations, and cognitive limitations. Results also showed that there are relationships between digital limitations and how those limitations affect students’ perceptions in their virtual learning environment.
First-Generation College Students: a Study on Academic Performance and a Faculty-Based Completion Initiative
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Cribbs, Carla; Bray, Nathaniel; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Academic performance is a problem for community colleges, particularly as it relates to first-generation college students. These students often face many challenges that lower their chance of persisting to graduation. Students of first-generation status have a greater risk of dropping out of college before completing a degree. Faculty, who have the most interaction with students, are well positioned to help students achieve success at a course-level and ultimately reach their educational goals. Community colleges continue to work to close achievement gaps and improve degree completion through involvement in various student success initiatives. The purpose of this research study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the academic performance of first-generation college students as a result of a faculty-based completion initiative. In this study, a first-generation college student was defined as a student whose parent(s) did not finish a college degree. The study was conducted at a public 2-year associate’s institution located in the southeastern part of Alabama. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to answer four main research questions. The study compared the academic performance of first-generation college students without exposure to a faculty-based completion initiative (fall 2011) to the academic performance of first-generation college students with exposure to the initiative (fall 2014). Academic performance was measured by average grades in three high enrollment courses: Principles of Biology I, English Composition I, and General Psychology. Descriptive statistics and three-way ANOVAs were utilized to answer the research questions. Based on the findings from this research study, there were no significant differences in the academic performance of first-generation college students by classification, race, gender, or Pell status, as a result of a faculty-based completion initiative. However, there was a significant difference in the overall academic performance of first-generation college students. Students of first-generation status who were exposed to the initiative had higher average grades than those students who were not exposed. Additionally, the average grade for each course with exposure to the initiative was higher than the average grade for those courses without exposure. Recommendations for college leaders and suggestions for future research are also included in this study.

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