Hayden, Haley M
(2024)
Fostering Social and Co-Curricular Engagement with Commuter Students at a Regional University Campus.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
At the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, commuter students make up the majority of the currently enrolled student population. The majority population has expressed their dissatisfaction about co-curricular and social activities and a diminished sense of belonging and inclusion. The focus of this dissertation is on the Greensburg Experiences More Program (GEM), and the central idea that the program is not inclusive nor engaging to commuter students and that there has not been a redesigned or evaluation of the program within the past five years to promote more buy in for the social and co-curricular experiences it provides. By interviewing ten higher education professionals and explore how they engage their commuter student population could provide ways that the GEM program could be changed or adapted. The ten semi-structured interviews consisted of professionals from both public and private institutions from five different states. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed resulting in three different themes, which are as follows a. Time is of the Essence b. Linear Level of Social and Co-Curricular Events and c. Free Everything: From Food to Fun. These overall findings show that the campus needs to make a considerable effort in working with their commuter student as much if not more than their non-commuter student for them to become engaged in social and co-curricular activities. These findings also examine that the best time to engage their commuter students was between the hours of 8:00am to 6:00 pm, to provide more than just an experience by enhancing events with incentives such as food or additional giveaways, and the creation and implementation of the common hour.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
5 January 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
27 October 2023 |
| Approval Date: |
5 January 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
13 December 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
79 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
| Degree: |
EdD - Doctor of Education |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Commuter students, engagement, common hour, outside of the classroom curriculum |
| Date Deposited: |
05 Jan 2024 20:32 |
| Last Modified: |
05 Jan 2024 20:32 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/45659 |
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