http://hdl.handle.net/10791/1 Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:19:25 GMT 2026-08-14T14:19:25Z http://hdl.handle.net/10791/524 Title: ACADEMIC STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF QUALITY MATTERS TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN BLENDED AND ONLINE LEARNING Authors: Halle, Michele Supervisor(s): Dr. Pamela Walsh, Dr. Aga Palalas Examining Committee: Dr. Rebecca Heiser, Dr. Norm Vaughn Degree: Doctor of Education (EdD) in Distance Education Department: Centre for Distance Education Abstract: Over the past decade, international student enrolment in Canadian postsecondary institutions has increased significantly. Academic staff - faculty, instructional designers, and curriculum consultants - play a central role in supporting international students through the design of inclusive and accessible blended and online courses, often without sufficient professional development or institutional support. This qualitative interpretive case study explored how academic staff at a publicly funded Ontario college, referred to as Blue Jay College, perceived the role of the Quality Matters (QM) framework in supporting international students in blended and online learning environments. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten participants representing faculty, instructional designers, and curriculum consultant roles and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicated that consistency and structure were perceived as important in supporting international student success, that gaps existed between instructional expectations and institutional supports, and that sustaining quality under conditions of workload pressure and precarity was challenging. Analysis indicated that while QM was perceived as a valuable tool to support consistency in course design, its use depended on the level of support available within individual schools and did not reflect a coordinated institutional approach. Participants emphasized the importance of professional development, manageable workloads, and stable working conditions in sustaining inclusive course design practices. As a result, implementation remained inconsistent and largely dependent on individual initiative. The findings suggest that without a coordinated institutional approach, course design practices were perceived to vary across Blue Jay College, contributing to inconsistent and potentially inequitable learning experiences for international students across programs and disciplines. Strengthening institutional support for academic staff is therefore essential to support more consistent and inclusive course design practices in blended and online learning environments. Graduation Date: 2027-06 Wed, 05 Aug 2026 06:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10791/524 2026-08-05T06:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10791/523 Title: FACTORS IMPACTING ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN SMALL BUSINESS: A FOCUS ON THE CANNABIS MARKET IN ONTARIO Authors: Forzley, Samer Supervisor(s): Dr. Eduardo Ordonez-Ponce (Athabsca University) Examining Committee: Dr. Angela Workman-Stark (Athabsca University); Dr. Terry Beckman (Athabasca University); Dr. Todd Green (Brock University); Dr. Timothy Dewhirst (University of Guelph) Degree: Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Department: Faculty of Business Abstract: Ethical decision-making (EDM) in business leadership has been widely studied, with established classifications identifying personal, organizational, and situational factors that shape ethical behaviour. However, limited research has examined how these factors appear within newly legalized or highly regulated industries such as cannabis retail, where small business leaders face unique ethical and legal challenges. This study investigates that gap by examining factors identified by various researchers and incorporated into ethical decision-making frameworks, such as the Person-Situation Interactionist Model and the Contingency Framework. These factors shape EDM among small business leaders (SMLs) in Ontario’s cannabis industry. Using an interpretive approach and unstructured interviews, the research identifies eight new factors relative to existing literature. These new factors are stigma, unfairness, technology, and five government-related factors (licensing, illicit markets, red tape, supply controls, and legal compliance). These factors interact with personal (e.g., historical associations with cannabis) and situational influences (e.g., peer pressure), reshaping how SMLs navigate ethical dilemmas. The findings also reveal that regulatory ambiguity and competitive pressures lead to grey-area practices in all aspects of business, including marketing. By integrating these factors, the study offers a blueprint for adapting EDM frameworks to emerging and stigmatized industries. This research contributes new data to cannabis research, adds to existing research related to Factors and EDM, extends CSR frameworks to stigmatized industries and enhances EDM frameworks through the introduction of the Stigmatized Industry Decision-Making (SIDM) Framework. Graduation Date: 2026 Tue, 04 Aug 2026 06:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10791/523 2026-08-04T06:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10791/520 Title: THE PARENT EXPERIENCE OF SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN WITH ANXIETY: A WESTERN CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE Authors: Dudek, Kailey Supervisor(s): Dr. Caroline Buzanko (Athabasca University) Dr. Georgia Dewart (Athabasca University) Examining Committee: Dr. Margot Jackson (University of Alberta) Degree: Master of Counselling Department: Faculty of Health Disciplines Abstract: Anxiety is ever-present today, and despite the existing information and programs available, there is no sign of it decreasing. Children, especially, are experiencing more anxiety than they ever have before. Much of the research and anxiety-focused programs and interventions concentrate on children, and the research on how parents experience and manage their children’s anxiety is lacking. In this study, I asked: what are parents' experiences of influencing and managing their children’s anxiety? I conducted 6–10 interviews with parents of school-aged children to learn about their experiences. Guided by thematic analysis, the results of this study showed six themes: recognizing how children’s anxiety presents, finding ways to manage anxiety, navigating barriers, recognizing growth and resilience, the impacts of anxiety on the family, and altruism for other parents. These results show that more education and anxiety-focused programs and interventions are needed to better support parents and their children. Graduation Date: 2028-04 Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10791/520 2026-07-21T06:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10791/519 Title: RACIALIZED STUDENTS IN GRADUATE COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY: INVISIBLE WORK AND INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES Authors: Johns, Cheyenne Supervisor(s): Dr. Emily Doyle (Athabasca University) Dr. Lisa Gray (Athabasca University) Examining Committee: Dr. Lana Ray (Athabasca University) Degree: Master of Counselling Department: Faculty of Health Disciplines Abstract: This study uses institutional ethnography (IE) to examine how racialized and minoritized counselling psychology graduate students experience and perform invisible work within the online Master of Counselling program at Athabasca University. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six racialized and minoritized students who had completed at least one year in the program and a text analysis of seven institutional documents, including admissions policies, the student handbook, and student support resources. Findings show that institutional texts and program structures shape student learning, participation, and professional identity formation. They also produce invisible work, including interpretive, relational, and emotional labour. This labour is often unevenly distributed among students with intersecting marginalized identities. The study shows how institutional commitments to equity, cultural competency, and social justice can reproduce inequities in practice and limit equitable participation. It offers insights for more equitable and accountable curriculum design, program structures, and institutional practices in counsellor education. Graduation Date: June 2026 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 06:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10791/519 2026-07-16T06:00:00Z