Doctoral Universities Research Articles

Practicing intentional mentorship: An unfinished journey of a language teacher educator and her (future) mentees

AbstractAs a language teacher educator (LTE) at a Doctoral Universities ‐ High Research Activity (R2) institution, this invitation to document how the first author (Gloria) has come to (re)construct and (re)negotiate her identity as an LTE is both timely and necessary, as the academic year 2024–2025 marks her 17th year at her institution. In this conceptual feature article, she begins this narrativized journey as one way to reflect on who she is and who she has become as an LTE, and she has invited four of her former mentees (Silvia, Marie, Shannon, and Sarah) who have become her co‐authors and co‐editors in various publication opportunities. Using poetic and narrativized writing, Gloria and her mentees share snapshots of their reflections and reflexivity in working together to understand and define intentional mentoring practices. The authors conclude with their own definitions of intentional mentoring practice and invite the journal audience to collectively engage in our unfinished journey.

User Experience Research Techniques Facilitate Improvements for Access and Discovery Tools Managed by Technical Services Librarians

A Review of: Hill, K. (2020). Usability beyond the home page: Bringing usability into the technical services workflow. The Serials Librarian, 78 (1–4), 173–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2020.1702857 Objective – To demonstrate how user experience research techniques can be incorporated into technical services work. As proof of this concept, the author describes a case wherein a team of librarians, including one in a technical services role, deployed a user experience study to determine if students were able to successfully use LibGuides and the A-Z Database List to find subject-specific resources. The study also aimed to gauge the potential for several A-Z Database List interface redesign options. Design – A case study of user experience techniques applied to technical services projects, including a classic usability test of existing tools and an A/B/C comparison of potential interface redesigns. Setting – The library at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG), a public R2 university (doctoral university with high research activity). Subjects – Eleven student participants recruited through convenience sampling. Methods – The research team recruited study participants who were in the library at the time of the study, deselecting students from UNCG’s library school and those who were not currently affiliated with the university through an initial questionnaire. Eleven student participants were ultimately selected and led through a series of tasks related to finding subject-specific databases using the A-Z Database List and LibGuides. After the tasks for the A-Z Database List were completed, students were asked for their impression of two additional database list interfaces. Students were recorded throughout the tasks using the “talk aloud” method to provide researchers with insights on their thought processes and preferences. Following the study, researchers listened to the recordings, coding them as successful or incomplete and noting their observations for use in generalized findings. Main Results – Eight of eleven participants used the library’s main search box to locate a general resource for their major on the library’s homepage. When shown the A-Z Database List, ten out of eleven participants used the list to find a database for their major, while one used the link to “Research guides by subject” from that page. Comparisons of three A-Z Database List interfaces showed that most students preferred the Springshare Content Management System that allowed for filtering by subject area. When asked to find a research guide for their subject or major from the library’s homepage, nine out of eleven students clicked on the link labeled “Research guides by subject.” Starting from their subject guide, ten out of eleven could find a tab listing article databases. Nine participants noted that the number of databases listed on the guides was daunting. Conclusion – Results from the user experience study were used to support a redesign of the A-Z Database List using the Springshare Content Management System. The author regarded the experience as a whole as demonstrating how technical services librarians can become involved in user experience work and incorporate findings from usability studies into their management and design of tools that promote access and discoverability.

University Instructors Use of, and Satisfaction with, Library Services in the Year Following the COVID-19 Outbreak

A Review of: McClure, J. (2023). The COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid shift to an exclusively online format: Tracking online instructors’ utilization of library services over a year of virtual learning at the University of Memphis. College & Research Libraries, 84(1), 100–120. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.84.1.100 Objective – To determine online instructors' satisfaction with and level of use of library services during the year following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design – Survey questionnaire and follow-up interview. Setting – The University of Memphis (UofM) is a medium-sized, public, urban, R2 (doctoral university with high research activity) university. At the time of publication, UofM employed 930 full-time faculty and—through UofM Global—the option to earn degrees entirely online. Subjects – Survey respondents (n = 56) were online instructors at the University of Memphis. Methods – A confidential survey was distributed to all deans and department chairs at the UofM with instructions to disseminate the survey to all instructors teaching online course(s). Respondents were invited to participate in a follow-up interview. Main Results – Three common themes identified from the data were 1) respondents would have used the enhanced library services but were not aware of them; 2) respondents were very grateful for the services offered, in particular library instruction, Kanopy, and interlibrary loan; and 3) respondents did not feel like their courses would benefit from the library or its offered services. Conclusion – Based on the research results, the author concludes that the UofM Library must focus efforts on increasing visibility and communication, embedding the library in course design and assessment, as well as improving hybrid library instruction and offering purchase-on-demand collection development. The author has begun work on a follow-up study looking at ways to enhance the embedded librarianship service and increase communication between the UofM librarians and online teaching faculty.

Exploring the connections between teaching librarians' beliefs about teaching and their teaching methods

In academic libraries, a teaching librarian's choice of teaching methods has the potential to impact student learning, yet a limited number of studies have explored how teaching librarians choose which teaching methods to use in their instruction sessions. Using the theory of planned behavior as the theoretical framework, this study explored one antecedent for teaching methods: a librarian's beliefs about teaching. Thirteen teaching librarians from three R1 doctoral universities in Texas were interviewed as part of a collective case study. During the interviews, participants were asked to describe their teaching methods and their beliefs about teaching. Three themes were identified across institutions and instructional contexts related to teaching methods: engaging students in the teaching interaction, connecting information literacy content to the real world, and creating a supportive atmosphere. Three themes were identified related to teaching beliefs: beliefs in the importance of understanding students' unique learning needs, understanding students' affective dimensions of learning, and respecting the knowledge students bring to the teaching interaction. These findings suggest that participants utilize a student-centered approach to teaching characterized by active learning methods. This exploration of the role of teaching beliefs on how teaching librarians choose teaching methods has practical implications for creating professional development for teaching librarians that aims to deconstruct beliefs about teaching.

Academic Librarians’ Participation in Non-Library Conferences

This study investigates librarian attendance at non-library conferences (NLCs), such as subject-specific conferences, by surveying librarians about attendance, the characteristics of those who attend, why they attend, how they participate, and more. Among the questionnaire respondents, the most likely attendees are STEM liaisons from doctoral universities. While the responses to attending NLCs were broadly positive, the richest data obtained from the study was from a freeform response to a question about perceived benefits/flaws about attending NLCs. Many respondents cited the value of keeping up with trends in the non-library field, improved patron interaction, and getting out of the library silo. The few respondents who reported downsides to attending NLCs mentioned costs, time commitment, and relevance of content. We affirm the value of NLCs and share suggestions for increasing the prevalence of and support for attendance by formally and informally sharing experiences with other librarians.

Why They Intend to Leave: The Role of Burnout Between the Faculty Work Environment and Intent to Leave Academia

Though faculty are crucial to university success, faculty work motivation research often lacks a theoretical basis and discounts potential affective influences like burnout. Such limitations reduce the ability to understand faculty work motivation and, thus, to facilitate its development. To overcome these, the Affective Events Theory was applied to the domain of faculty work motivation. The resultant model was tested using faculty participants from 24 doctoral universities. Participants completed a survey assessing work-related characteristics, affect (burnout), and cognitions. Results revealed that faculty at doctoral universities (i.e., High and Very High Research Activity Universities) experienced less burnout when they received support from their institution, had autonomy in structuring their daily tasks, viewed their job as important, completed their tasks from beginning to end, experienced less skill and task variety, and were in good health. Those who experienced burnout reported diminished job satisfaction, reduced commitment, and less intention to stay in academia. The implications for theoretical research, institutional policy, and practice are discussed.

Tracking transparency: an exploratory review of Florida academic library privacy policies

PurposeBuilding on past studies of library privacy policies, this review looks at how privacy information is shared at universities and colleges in the state of Florida. Beyond the question of whether a library-specific privacy policy exists, this review evaluates what is covered in the policies – whether topics such as how student data is stored, retained, de-identified and disposed of are broached in the statements, and whether specific data sets covering instruction, reference and surveillance are mentioned. The purpose of this study is to open the door to directed exploration into student awareness of privacy policies and spark conversation about positionality of libraries regarding privacy.Design/methodology/approachThis review was done using a cross-sectional study design through observation of public-facing library privacy policies of higher education institutions in Florida.FindingsFindings include that the majority of Florida academic libraries do not have a public-facing privacy policy. Only 15 out of the 70 schools reviewed had one. A large portion of those came from doctoral universities with associate’s colleges having none, and baccalaureate/associate’s colleges having only two. The policies that were in place tended to be institution-centered rather than patron-centered. Most categories of listed data collected were in the area of collections, website or computer usage.Originality/valueThe value of this review is that it adds to the literature studying privacy policies in academic libraries. Going forward, this research could address statewide practice in privacy policies as well as helping to lay pathways for working with students and other library patrons to gauge their interests and concerns about privacy.

The Performing Arts in Institutional Repositories: An Analysis of Policies and Holdings

Institutional repositories aim to capture the intellectual output of a specific institution. Previous scholars explored the content and disciplinary breakdowns of IR holdings; however, these studies often exclude the creative output of the arts, especially performing arts. This study uses a systematic content analysis of collection development statements or similar policies to understand whether IRs accept creative works. A review of IR collections shows the presence of performance output in a sample of 30 repositories at doctoral universities with very high research activity. Many IRs name creative work as acceptable content, and many of the sample IRs include content from performance-based disciplines. While many institutions collect performance materials in some way, text-based documents continue to be the primary method of performing arts representation in IRs. Shared examples of the successful inclusion of performance in IRs would further promote IRs as a platform for hosting all types of performance content, while also assisting others in outreach to artist-scholars in performing arts disciplines.

Exploring faculty perspectives on open access at a medium-sized, American doctoral university

Exploring faculty perspectives on open access at a medium-sized, American doctoral university

Impediments to Greater Diversity in the Cancer Research Workforce: Do Patterns of NCI Funding of Training and Educational Awards to Institutions With Rich Research Resources but Low Student Diversity Indicate Structural Bias?

Purpose: To examine patterns of NCI training and educational awards (T32 & R25) by indicators of research capacity and student diversity. Methods: FY2019 data from the US Department of Education and NIH Exporter were used to examine student diversity and NCI funding by research capacity as defined by Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education. Results: In FY2019, the Carnegie Classification for Doctoral Universities (n = 412) included 131 “R1”_ and 135 “R2”_ research-intensive universities, and 146 other doctoral and professional universities ("DPU"_).At all Carnegie Institutions, >45% students were White. By Carnegie classes, compared to R2 and DPUs, R1s had the lowest proportions of African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and female students, at both college and graduate levels. Proportions of Hispanic undergraduates were similar across Carnegie classes, and generally higher than those for Hispanic graduate students, which were lowest among R1s relative to R2s and DPUs. Asian American and nonresident alien students (undergraduate and graduate) comprised higher proportions of R1 students than those at R2s and DPUs.Schools varied by Minority Serving Institution status. For instance, numbers of Hispanic Serving Institutions were similar for R1s (16), R2s (16), and DPUs (18), but 11 R2s were Predominantly Black Institutions and only one R1 was and no DPUs. In contrast, 71 R1s were Asian American Serving Institutions, far higher than the 16 R2s and 19 DPUs with that status.Of >2,000 “NCI R01 and equivalent awards”_ in FY2019, >90% were awarded to R1s, with <10% at R2s and <1% at DPUs. Patterns by Carnegie class were similar for NCI Fellowship (F), Career Development (K), and Training Program awards (T). Conclusion: Both low student diversity at research resource-rich schools and higher diversity at schools with fewer research awards may contribute to and perpetuate few individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups working in cancer research. To address this long-standing problem requires understanding how many factors and systems interact at multiple levels (e.g., individual, institutional, funding agency) to drive and block access to training and career advancement in cancer research.

Using assessment data to advance equity: Five things that get in the way

This manuscript reports on in-depth interviews with 27 faculty and administrators, regarding their experiences using data to advance equity at their institutions. Participants were drawn from five institutions: two community colleges, a public baccalaureate college, a private not-for-profit doctoral university, and a public research university. Consistent with the AALHE’s recent calls for research on assessment’s role in advancing equity, this study applies critical social theory and critical-race lenses to understand how participants experience exchanges over data in the context of equity efforts at colleges and universities. We outline five barriers to productive data-use for equity that participants described in interviews: performativity misalignment; collaborators’ resistance; non-equity-minded frameworks; inequitable processes; and lack of structure for follow-through. Findings explore best practices and counterstories, including participants’ sense-making around the barriers they encountered. The manuscript provides assessment practitioners with practical recommendations on how to improve interactions, and thereby contribute to improved institutional practices advancing equity.

Circle of success—An interpretative phenomenological analysis of how Black engineering students experience success

AbstractBackgroundThough minoritized undergraduate engineering students earn less than 25% of engineering bachelor's degrees, minority‐serving institutions (MSIs) are leading the way in producing a large percentage of those underrepresented engineering bachelor's degree holders. However, much of the published research about the experiences of underrepresented engineering students occurs within the context of predominantly White institutions. Upon deeper inspection into the apparent success of some MSIs, graduation rates of specific minoritized populations (e.g., Black students) remain critically low. This suggests that there is more to be learned about how to better support Black engineering students' success.PurposeWe explored the experiences of Black undergraduate engineering students at a large public doctoral university with very high research activity.Design/MethodWe used interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand the experiences of eight participants.FindingsWe inductively developed two themes to describe how Black engineering students experience success at a Hispanic‐serving institution, which include building success networks and implementing rules of engagement.ConclusionParticipants enacted their cultural capital to construct their circles of success through the intentional engagement of others, resources, and themselves to realize success. This work sheds light on how Black students describe what it means to be successful in their engineering environment.

Design variations and evaluation of loanable technology web pages in academic library websites

Loanable technology is an emerging specialized collection in academic libraries. An effective collection depends on several moving parts, including funding; space; a collection management strategy; and information systems, including web pages, to support access to the collection. The current study surveys websites from institutions carrying the Carnegie classification of “Doctoral University: Very High Research” to determine the existence and design variations of loanable technology websites. The paper notes tendencies and exceptions in the designs and develops a general design framework to guide future design decisions. The results offer design options and recommendations based on variations of affordances; the scope and variety of the items in collections; and the use of images, catalog records, and supporting documents. A structural analysis of design variations can thus enhance the coherence, completeness, and overall effectiveness of loanable technology websites.

Nationwide assessment of leadership development for graduate students in the agricultural plant sciences.

Leadership development is a universally important goal across the agricultural plant science disciplines. Although previous studies have identified a need for leadership skills, less is known about leadership skill development in graduate programs. To address this, we constructed a mixed-method study to identify the most significant graduate school leadership experiences of scientists in the agricultural plant science disciplines. The survey was deployed to 6,728 people in the U.S. and received 1,086 responses (16.1% response rate). The majority of respondents reported that they were from one of the major agricultural states and employed at one of the agricultural plant science related doctoral universities, industries, or government. Results from this survey suggest that recent graduates were more engaged in graduate school activities that offered leadership development. Key experiences in graduate school were also identified that may be used to develop future leaders. Additionally, respondents reported the greatest barrier to providing leadership development for graduate students was that it is not part of their program curriculum, however current graduate students responded differently, and identifying lack of funding to support experiences as the greatest barrier. This survey also identified the top ranked professional skills considered most important for effective leaders in agricultural plant sciences as well as respondent-driven recommendations on how graduate programs can improve leadership development. Collectively, these results can be used in the future to identify priorities for skill development and opportunities for leadership training among graduate students within the plant science disciplines.

Agile Project Management Facilitates Efficient and Collaborative Collection Development Work

A Review of:Stoddard, M. M., Gillis, B., & Cohn, P. (2019). Agile project management in libraries: Creating collaborative, resilient, responsive organizations. Journal of Library Administration, 59(5), 492–511. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2019.1616971 Objective – To examine the advantages and obstacles of using Agile (an approach to project management) principles to guide collection development work in ways that allow libraries to better address user needs while increasing transparency and collaboration in their processes. Design – Descriptive case study. Setting – Libraries at a private, R1 university (doctoral university – very high research activity). Subjects – Five cross-disciplinary teams of three to six people, with each team focusing on a separate strategic aspect of library collections work (Communications and Data Visualization, E-Resource Contract Negotiation, Serials Workflow Analysis, Demand Driven Acquisitions, and Serials Budget Projection & Assessment). Methods – The authors facilitated group reflection sessions for the teams to surface outcomes of employing Agile practices and also as a means through which they could learn from their experiences with Agile. The teams engaged in reflection throughout the year-long process where they were asked to share their work, respond to the work of the other teams, and contemplate their own learning and development as a member of a team. Main Results – Using Agile principles to structure and direct collection development work allowed the libraries to meet their stated goals of spending all available funds on relevant materials within the time frame allotted. This style of collaborative work benefitted from recognition of interrelated information needs, willingness to prioritize experimentation over seeking formal training, centering user needs in planning stages, and practicing reflection as a powerful learning tool. Additionally, the authors noted a strengthening of core skills held in high value throughout libraries, such as leadership and project management. Task-oriented skills that included capabilities like data visualization and operational analysis also progressed through learning by working on cross-functional teams. The authors offered guidance for applying these lessons to situations in other libraries that can be generalized to fit other projects. Conclusion – Based on their experiences with adopting Agile practices, the authors offered scalable approaches for implementing Agile that speak to employee buy-in and the overall impact of projects undertaken in this manner. Training that reflects a library’s authentic level of investment in Agile, whether minimal or extensive, is crucial to realizing positive outcomes. The authors also recognized that resistance to change and discomfort with working under transparent conditions will present challenges for many libraries in aligning workflows with Agile methodology. However, Agile did allow for positive shifts toward more investment in shared work on team and individual levels. While failure in Agile projects is more visible and therefore more intimidating, librarians can find themselves able to learn from and correct mistakes more efficiently.

From 2000 to 2018: Examining the Relationship Between Net Tuition Revenue and the International Undergraduate Student Enrollment at Public Doctoral Universities

Increased international students could potentially contribute to the institutional financial stability. However, there is limited research evidence regarding the association between net tuition revenue and international undergraduate student enrollment at public doctoral universities through a longitudinal perspective. This research, therefore, fills the gap and investigates the association between international student enrollment and the financial status of institutions. Informed by Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), this study used correlational analysis, One-way ANOVA and Post Hoc tests to examine the relationship from different perspectives. These findings indicated a statistically significant positive correlation between net tuition revenue and international undergraduate student enrollment numbers at public doctoral universities from 2000 and 2018. The research also revealed statistically significant differences in net tuition revenue among institutions grouped by international undergraduate student enrollment levels. The results illustrated the nuanced trend in the three waves of international student enrollment.

The Challenging State of University Campus and Library Open Access Policies

Introduction: This study investigates whether United States university libraries’ commitment to increasing open access (OA) to scholarly outputs as demonstrated by their support of campus level OA policies translates into adoption of OA policies that apply specifically to library employees. Method: This mixed-methods study used an anonymous survey and optional open-ended interviews of schol arly communications librarians at Carnegie Classification Doctoral Universities (Very High Research [R1] and High Research [R2]) to gather information about OA policies or statements at their institutions and/or within their libraries. Results & Discussion: Variation in campus culture and governance structure meant the path from creation to adoption to implementation of a campus and/or library OA policy was similarly varied. The research reveals librarians’ motivations for and contributions to advancement of OA on their campuses, and sometimes also within their libraries. Conclusion: Many of the rationales driving adoption of campus OA policies similarly drive adoption of library-specific OA policies. Those surveyed whose institutions did have library-based OA policies referenced both the importance of leading by example and alignment with institutional mission and values.

Academic libraries and DEI initiatives: A quantitative study of employee satisfaction

This survey study explored employees' of academic libraries, specifically R1 and R2 Doctoral Universities in the United States, attitudes regarding their overall level of satisfaction with the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at their places of work in regard to the promotion of DEI culture at their institutions, the ability to pursue DEI work in their day-to-day work, and the alignment of their personal values with their libraries, universities, and surrounding communities. The findings suggest that while most respondents felt there was acceptable buy-in from library and university employees, library and university leadership must provide meaningful support for DEI, or library employees will become dismayed and experience low morale. Findings also indicate that while the institutional culture within one's library and university may be supportive of DEI work, threats to the promotion and tenure process could be a deterrent. Finally, respondents also reported overall comfortability in incorporating DEI work into their day-to-day lives. While the results are not generalizable to institutions outside of the parameters of the current study, this study sheds some perspective on the LIS community's response to DEI issues.

Quantifying hierarchy and dynamics in US faculty hiring and retention

Faculty hiring and retention determine the composition of the US academic workforce and directly shape educational outcomes1, careers2, the development and spread of ideas3 and research priorities4,5. However, hiring and retention are dynamic, reflecting societal and academic priorities, generational turnover and efforts to diversify the professoriate along gender6–8, racial9 and socioeconomic10 lines. A comprehensive study of the structure and dynamics of the US professoriate would elucidate the effects of these efforts and the processes that shape scholarship more broadly. Here we analyse the academic employment and doctoral education of tenure-track faculty at all PhD-granting US universities over the decade 2011–2020, quantifying stark inequalities in faculty production, prestige, retention and gender. Our analyses show universal inequalities in which a small minority of universities supply a large majority of faculty across fields, exacerbated by patterns of attrition and reflecting steep hierarchies of prestige. We identify markedly higher attrition rates among faculty trained outside the United States or employed by their doctoral university. Our results indicate that gains in women’s representation over this decade result from demographic turnover and earlier changes made to hiring, and are unlikely to lead to long-term gender parity in most fields. These analyses quantify the dynamics of US faculty hiring and retention, and will support efforts to improve the organization, composition and scholarship of the US academic workforce.

Assessing campus sustainability literacy and culture: How are universities doing it and to what end?

Institutions of higher education have increasingly focused on data-driven decision-making and assessments of their sustainability goals. Yet, there is no agreement on what constitutes sustainability literacy and culture (SLAC) at colleges and universities, even though promoting these types of campus population-level changes is often seen as key to the greening of higher education. It remains unclear what motivates institutions to measure these constructs, the barriers they face in doing so, and how they use these assessments to improve sustainability outcomes. In order to understand how universities are conducting SLAC assessments and for what purpose, we carried out an analysis of a subgroup of institutions–doctoral universities with very high research activity (R1)–with respect to institutional organizational learning (OL). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with administrators of 20 R1 universities that reported SLAC assessments (2017–2020) in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's STARS rating system. As anticipated, R1 universities reported conducting SLAC assessments for STARS points, but they also are motivated by the potential for the data to inform campus programs. Challenges in conducting assessments included: lack of institutional prioritization, difficulty conducting the surveys, inadequate resources, institutional barriers, and perceived methodological inadequacies. While very few of the higher OL institutions pointed to lack of institutional prioritization as a problem, more than half of lower OL universities did. Institutional support, having a dedicated office, and using survey incentives served as facilitators. This is one of the first studies to relate higher education OL to sustainability assessments. OL is likely to be an important construct in furthering an understanding of the institutional capacities required for implementation of assessments and their effectiveness in evidence-based decision-making.