Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

STEM and Professional Studies

Program/Concentration

Instructional Design and Technology

Committee Director

John Baaki

Committee Member

Brandon Butler

Committee Member

Miguel Ramlatchan

Abstract

Minimal research has been conducted on the experiences of department chairs and program coordinators with the implementation of performance improvement in learning outcome assessment. Focusing on a multidisciplinary college that offered associate degrees, technical diplomas, and certificates, located within the SACSCOC region, this transcendental phenomenology aims to understand the lived experiences of department chairs and program coordinators in a community college during the implementation/maintenance phases of a performance improvement initiative for the college’s program and general learning outcome assessment process.

This phenomenological study was conducted with eighteen department chairs and program coordinators, and two semi-structured interviews were conducted via Webex. Moustakas’ (1994) data analysis steps were used to analyze the data. Five themes emerged (a) understanding the rollout experience progression, (b) key role of accessible and responsive support in driving change success, (c) critical influence of establishing hierarchical oversight in a performance improvement, (d) creating space for stakeholder voice and leveraging insights for effective change, and (e) shifting professional development approaches.

While the performance improvement was deemed successful by SACSCOC, understanding the lived experiences of department chairs and program coordinators offers valuable insight into the essence of a co-created change journey in assessment implementation, specifying the roles of support, oversight, and phase-responsive professional development in transforming overwhelm into collective accomplishment. Practical and human performance field implications are provided.

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.25777/qw9h-zz21

ISBN

9798197835307

ORCID

0000-0002-5266-5501

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