http://hdl.handle.net/10791/2 2026-03-06T22:28:42Z 2026-03-06T22:28:42Z Baxter, Cody http://hdl.handle.net/10791/504 2026-02-12T20:30:51Z 2026-02-12T07:00:00Z

Title: A PUBLIC METRICS ANALYSIS OF CANADIAN MOBILE ADOPTION AND ITS TRENDS Authors: Baxter, Cody Supervisor(s): Tan, Qing (Athabasca University) Zhang, Xiaokun (Athabasca University) Examining Committee: Kadry, Kadry El Ezzat (Higher Technology Institute - Egypt) Degree: Master of Science, Information Systems (MScIS) Department: Faculty of Science and Technology Abstract: This dissertation examines the reliability of Canada’s telecommunications data ecosystem for modeling the structural determinants of mobile adoption between 2014 and 2018. Public data from Statistics Canada and the CRTC were combined with private carrier disclosures to construct an integrated dataset. A modular, Python-based pipeline was developed to harmonize inconsistent schemas, manage missing data, and ensure reproducibility. The analysis employed econometric and spatial methods to test whether population density and income disparities influenced adoption patterns across provinces. While theoretical relationships were consistent with prior technology adoption research, severe data quality limitations—including interpolation, inconsistent definitions, and imputed financial metrics—undermined model stability. The study’s contribution is twofold: it demonstrates the methodological requirements for integrating fragmented public and private datasets, and it provides a critical evaluation of their adequacy for policy-relevant research. Findings underscore the need for standardized, high-resolution, and longitudinal data to support evidence-based telecommunications policy. Graduation Date: 2025-12

2026-02-12T07:00:00Z Young, Ryan Thomas http://hdl.handle.net/10791/503 2026-02-10T15:48:28Z 2026-02-10T07:00:00Z

Title: UNDERSTANDING HOW AND WHY STARTUPS EMBED HISTORICAL ELEMENTS INTO VISUAL COMMUNICATION ARTIFACTS Authors: Young, Ryan Thomas Supervisor(s): Dr. Kai Lamertz (Athabasca University) Dr. Roy Suddaby (University of Victoria) Examining Committee: Dr. Glen Farrelly (Athabasca University); Dr. Nicholous Deal (Mount Saint Vincent University) Degree: Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Department: Faculty of Business Abstract: This research explores how and why entrepreneurial firms embed historical elements into their visual communication artifacts. New firms seek to attract stakeholders by reducing perceived risk and uncertainty. One way to achieve this is through connecting historical elements into their narratives to create a sense of legitimacy or authenticity. This work explores how historical elements are embedded by firms into their visual communication artifacts by conducting a semiotic analysis on the websites of new ventures found in the Start Alberta database. After analysing by sector, theme findings revealed that that rhetorical strategies of legitimacy of land, authenticity of human connection, reputation and status adoption, and skeuomorphism occur. An exploratory step to understand why entrepreneurs do this was achieved through semi-structured interviews with founders and entrepreneurs. The interviews confirm that in many situations, entrepreneurs are deliberate when embedding historical elements into their work. Analysis also led to a typology of entrepreneur intentionality including Aesthetic Delegation, Personal Symbolism, and Strategic Stakeholder Framing. Graduation Date: 2026-06

2026-02-10T07:00:00Z Ganter, Ralph Steven http://hdl.handle.net/10791/502 2026-02-03T21:59:50Z 2026-02-03T07:00:00Z

Title: EMBEDDING AIRBORNE INFECTION PREVENTION BEST PRACTICES IN LONG-TERM CARE HOMES: AN IMPLEMENTATION BLUEPRINT Authors: Ganter, Ralph Steven Supervisor(s): Dr. Kam Jugdev (Athabasca University) Examining Committee: Dr. Jessica Good (Athabasca University); Dr. Jennifer-Lynn Fournier (Laurentian University) Degree: Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Department: Faculty of Business Abstract: Despite deliberate attention and dedicated resources devoted to infection prevention in long-term care (LTC) homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, patient-focused infection-related outcomes in the LTC sector varied significantly. This study sought to devise a set of approaches and recommendations to support more consistent application of infection control procedures among the frontline LTC home workforce in an effort to strengthen patient-focused outcomes. With a focus on management intentions and implementation practices, this research highlights critical implementation factors most likely to support the uptake of infection prevention behaviours consistent with best practices key to mitigating airborne infections. The research also strives to enable healthcare leaders to be cognizant and attentive to these factors as they go forward with future change management efforts and to provide tools for implementation. This study is guided by the research question: How are evidence-informed infection prevention best practices for transmissible airborne diseases prospectively implemented by leadership into frontline LTC home workers' practices? Using a thematic analysis of the experiences of LTC home leaders and Infection Prevention and Control Leads (IPAC), I found that key concepts related to the successful implementation of infection control practices in LTC included leadership activation drivers, functional roles and supportive entities, competency development, achieving compliance, dissemination methods, contingency development, alerting worker attention and the power of reflecting and reinforcing best practices. This research also provides the reader with a cadre of promising practices and a blueprint of measures and activities for the implementation of best practices. Ultimately, this research contributes to best practices intended to restore public confidence in safe institutional LTC home environments for our society’s elderly population. By providing leaders with a knowledge of implementation factors critical to best practice uptake, LTC home infection outcomes should improve, and more residents will be able to live longer with safety and personal dignity. Graduation Date: 2026-06

2026-02-03T07:00:00Z Ashman, Melissa http://hdl.handle.net/10791/501 2026-01-28T18:26:04Z 2026-01-28T07:00:00Z

Title: EXPERIENCES OF ONLINE FACULTY USING OPEN PEDAGOGY TO SUPPORT SOCIAL JUSTICE Authors: Ashman, Melissa Supervisor(s): Dr. Constance Blomgren (Athabasca University) Examining Committee: Dr. Pamela Walsh (Athabasca University); Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani (Brock University); Dr. Paul Prinsloo (University of South Africa) Degree: Doctor of Education (EdD) in Distance Education Department: Centre for Distance Education Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic was a pivotal, high impact period in the history of modern education. Seemingly overnight, institutions, programs, and classes around the world moved from being in-person to being online. The amount of individual and collective effort required for this to happen was tremendous. As a result, the pandemic forced both K-12 and post-secondary education systems globally to view the purpose and provision of education, including open education, in different ways. At the same time, social injustices were simultaneously being made visible across all facets of society, including education. It is often assumed that open education, by virtue of improving access to education, de facto supports social justice, but this is not the case. Additionally, online learning is generally thought to improve students’ access to education because of the flexibility in when and where to learn that is possible, but it can, in fact, be a site of social injustice for historically marginalized students. As a result, using open pedagogy in an online course to support social justice requires intentionality on the part of the instructor. For my dissertation, I completed a qualitative, interpretive phenomenological study underpinned by critical theory that sought to answer this central research question: What are the experiences of post-secondary faculty members who teach online using open pedagogy to support social justice? My study was situated within the context of one post-secondary institution located in British Columbia, and faculty who teach online courses using open pedagogy to support social justice were interviewed. The results revealed that faculty members conceptualize social justice in a variety of ways, primarily focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion of identities, as well as removing systemic barriers. They operationalize social justice through using open pedagogy by centring student voices, diverse perspectives, and learner agency. As well, faculty members engage in social justice leadership development by valuing continuous learning; engaging in professional development on a variety of topics and in a variety of ways; and welcoming, valuing, and incorporating student feedback and input. The results also revealed they need to be more direct and explicit in expressing their support of social justice by using open pedagogy. Accordingly, I developed a social justice model of open pedagogy that faculty members could use to help plan how they will engage in open pedagogy to support social justice while avoiding the perpetuation of teaching practices that can be marginalizing. As well, because educational research tends to be under-theorized, my model contributes to the theory development in the intersections of open education and social justice. Despite some limitations of the research stemming from the study design and the cultural context, future research could more deeply explore the risks faculty members face when using open pedagogy in support of social justice. Graduation Date: 2026-06

2026-01-28T07:00:00Z