EXPLORATION OF IPASS REFORM AT A PUBLIC, COMPREHENSIVE FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY: AN INTRINSIC CASE STUDY

California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations Office of Graduate Studies 6-2020 EXPLORATION OF IPASS REFORM AT A PUBLIC, COMPREHENSIVE FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY: AN INTRINSIC CASE STUDY Maria Domingo California State University, San Bernardino Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd Part of the Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Technology Commons, and the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Domingo, Maria, "EXPLORATION OF IPASS REFORM AT A PUBLIC, COMPREHENSIVE FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY: AN INTRINSIC CASE STUDY" (2020) Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations 1097 https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/1097 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Office of Graduate Studies at CSUSB ScholarWorks It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks For more information, please contact scholarworks@csusb.edu EXPLORATION OF IPASS REFORM AT A PUBLIC, COMPREHENSIVE FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY: AN INTRINSIC CASE STUDY A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership by Maria Theresa Domingo June 2020 EXPLORATION OF IPASS REFORM AT A PUBLIC, COMPREHENSIVE FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY: AN INTRINSIC CASE STUDY A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Maria Theresa Domingo June 2020 Approved by: Dr Edna Martinez, Committee Chair, Education Dr Nancy Acevedo-Gil, Committee Member Dr Craig Seal, Committee Member © 2020 Maria Theresa Domingo ABSTRACT Students enroll in universities to earn degrees as a way to improve social and economic competitiveness However, many large, comprehensive universities are having difficulty in supporting students to ensure timely graduation and are seeing a large number of students stop out before a degree is earned Academic advising is seen as an effective strategy to help improve retention and completion rates in universities However, large comprehensive universities often lack the resources to ensure students receive the support needed to ensure completion We know four-year graduation rates are rare, and there are numerous factors contributing to this issue Thus, universities and colleges are relying on iPASS reform, which combines advising technologies and advising redesign to create a seamless and holistic advising experience for students The purpose of this research study was to understand ongoing iPASS reform efforts at a public, comprehensive four-year institution Data were obtained from open-ended, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and participant observations Qualitative data were transcribed, coded, categorized, and organized into five thematic findings: a) Commitment to Student Learning and Student Success through Academic Advising, b) Restructuring Academic Advising and Related Cultural Shifts, c) Advising Approaches to Promote Student Success of the Whole Student, d) Adopting and Implementing New Advising Technologies, and e) Leadership Matters at All Levels Mountainside University’s leaders and practitioners may see these findings immediately helpful in their iii efforts to fully implement iPASS reform In addition, findings help identify barriers to implementation and facilitate efficient practices of implementation and provide insights into how academic advisors are affected These insights are critical because the working conditions of academic advisors directly translate into students’ learning conditions Recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are discussed iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank my chair, Dr Edna Martinez for her support and encouragement There are so many times in this journey that I wanted to give up, but she was always there pushing me to keep moving forward Thank you for checking up on me, providing support, giving me deadlines, and also understanding when I couldn’t meet those deadlines Thank you for your support especially during the end of this journey You continued to push and motivate me even when I felt I had nothing else to give You have pushed me to become better in so many ways, a better writer, editor, and researcher Most of all, thank you for believing in me I will never look at track changes the same way I want to also thank my committee members Dr Nancy Acevedo-Gil and Dr Craig Seal Thank you for your guidance throughout this journey and for your expertise Dr Acevedo-Gil, your courses opened my eyes to different views of social justice and racism I will forever be grateful for what I learned in your courses Your teachings and challenges to look at social justice and racism from different perspectives has made me a better advisor I also want to thank Dr Craig Seal for pushing me to pursue a doctorate degree I never thought I would pursue a doctorate degree Thank you for encouraging me and explaining why I needed to it Thank you for being a mentor and advocate for academic advising I would also like to thank my husband Hui Chieng We have been through so much, haven’t we? Thank you for always supporting me while I pursued my v master’s degree and now through my doctoral journey I know it has not been easy having to take care of the kids and house while I completed coursework assignments or when I was writing my dissertation I know I missed a lot of family bike rides and outings Thank you for always supporting me and giving me pep talks when I was doubting myself Please know that I appreciate everything you have done and sacrificed for me I know these last few years have not been the easiest for you, but you came out stronger than ever You make me want to be better and I promise this will be the last degree I would like to thank my parents and sister for always believing in me and supporting me when I felt like giving up Thank you for listening to me vent when I needed to and for watching the kids when I needed time to write Mom and Dad, thank you for your love and support and for being great parents To my sis, thanks for always being there for me, and for the laughs Spencer and Cheryl, thank you for reading my drafts I appreciate your feedback especially when my writing no longer made sense to me Your wisdom and expertise in business IT really helped me during this process Omar, thanks for all your help I appreciate the late night texts asking if I was awake and to encourage me to keep writing I would not be here without you Now, it’s your turn Can’t wait to see what your dissertation is about To Jessica, Kim, Kori, Claire, Diana, and Brittiny It is a joy working with you ladies Thank you for supporting me through this journey and understanding vi when I needed to take days off to finish this dissertation Thank you for taking on the extra workload during my absence I am forever grateful Cohort 10- Thank you for being a great group of individuals I have learned so many things from each one of you Thank you all for being supportive and for your constant encouragement Together, we will make positive change for our students! Most importantly, I want to thank God I would not be where I am today without his blessings and guidance vii DEDICATION I dedicate this to my grandparents Esperanza, Librado, Matilde, and Justo I would not be who or where I am today without their love, support, and encouragement when I was a child They instilled several values upon me such as respect, honesty, and patience From their actions I observed resilience, empathy, and kindness They all had to work hard and build a new life in the United States They were kind and always made me feel like I can achieve anything I wanted in life as long as I was willing to put in the effort for it They were also empathetic and displayed how important it was for a person to try to understand where another person is coming from They were the best grandparents a girl could ask for I miss you all I also dedicate this to my children Genevieve and Christopher I hope that you both understand that life is what you make of it Reach for the stars, and work hard, but don’t forget to have a life filled with love, laughter, and friendship Do not fear the unknown, rather have faith in God, and embrace challenges and obstacles that allow you to grow Pursue your dreams and don’t let anyone stop you I love you both .. .EXPLORATION OF IPASS REFORM AT A PUBLIC, COMPREHENSIVE FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY: AN INTRINSIC CASE STUDY A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino... comprehensive four-year institution Data were obtained from open-ended, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and participant observations Qualitative data were transcribed, coded, categorized, and... significance of the study and research questions Finally, I present the limitations and delimitations of this study and provide an outline of the remaining chapters Problem Statement Obtaining a college