ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of my committee for their guidance and help in completing this dissertation. My deep appreciation goes to Dr. Michael Moore for getting me started after a hiatus and for his advice, suggestions and inspiration. Equally important was his cheerful confidence that this would happen; to the point where I began to believe it as well. I want to also express my gratitude to Dr. John Burton, Dr. Peter Doolittle and Dr. Mark Sanders for their support, encouragement and guidance throughout this process. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Kathy Cennamo for her guidance and council in getting me started. She was and continues to be a great source of support to the program. I would also like to thank the many friends I've made in the program, those who finished ahead of me and offered encouragement, and those who remain in the race; we made a good group. Most importantly, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the love and support of my family, beginning with my friend and lovely wife Suzanne whose enthusiasm, patient encouragement and support means the world to me. My children, Dan, Kerry, Lauren and Douglas, who even though they are off on their own, were always encouraging and supportive, and lastly my parents, Watson and Edna Miller. They gave me the foundation and encouragement to enjoy learning and I hope they are watching and rejoicing from above. 2 Timothy 4:7
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Table of Contents
Organization of the Study …………………………………………………… 1 Chapter 1—Introduction and Need for the Study Introduction to the Chapter ……………………………………………. Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………… Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………... Research Questions …………………………………………………… Limitations ………………………………………………………………. Definitions ………………………………………………………………. Chapter 2 – Review of Literature Introduction to the Chapter …………………………………………….. 9 General Diffusion Theory ……………………………………………… 11 Elements of Diffusion …………………………………………………… 12 Summary – Diffusion of Innovation …………………………………… 25 Ely's Eight Conditions for Implementation …………………………… 29 Summary of Implementation ………………………………………… 32 Diffusion models for Higher Education ……………………………….. 33 Faculty Development …………………………………………………….36 Summary of Faculty Development ……………………………………. 40 Chapter 3 – Research Methods Introduction to the chapter ……………………………………………….41 Research design ………………………………………………………….42 Description of Mixed-Methods Designs ……………………………..…44 Population profile ………………………………………………………. 46 Phase I – Quantitative Survey …………………………………………. 47 The survey instrument …………………………………………………. 48 Implementation of Phase I ……………………………………………… 52 Phase II – Qualitative Case Study …………………………………….. 57 Method of data analysis ………………………………………………….61 Summary of methods …………………………………………………….63 Chapter 4 – Research Findings Introduction to the chapter ……………………………………………….65 Demographics of the Survey Respondents ………………………… 66 Selection of Phase II case study …………………………………….. 68 Analysis of the survey data …………………………………………… 69 Implementation of interviews ………………………………………… 100 Interview data analysis …………………………………………………..101 Answering the research questions …………………………………….. 107 Summary of the findings ……………………………………………….. 119 2 2 5 6 7 7

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