Several research cycles were conducted using an action research methodology to explore student engagement in a higher education classroom. Cycle 0 focused on gathering data about the local context. This was followed by Cycle 1 - where the flipped classroom approach was implemented as a mini-intervention. After data collection and further reflection on the local context led to Cycle 2 - where the Community of Inquiry model was adopted. This body of study captures the outline of each of these cycles. The monograph tells the story of the earlier cycles of research. While the manuscript focuses on implementing the final intervention, the community of inquiry model. The interrogation of each intervention resists instructor-centered pedagogies and seeks to foster student-led ones. Following discussion of these interventions, this study makes recommendations for fostering engagement in a large gender studies classroom through interrogating learning experiences.

University students face an information landscape that is overburdened with the proliferation of information as a result of increased and improved technology. Students will be better able to navigate such information overload only if they are information literate enough. Being information literate is having the ability to utilize information effectively and ethically. Information literacy has become a critical aspect of higher education in ensuring that students develop skills and attitudes to access information effectively, efficiently, and ethically. This study investigates a way to systematically integrate information literacy instruction into the undergraduate curriculum of a university through alignment with an established framework. This mixed methods study adopted an action research approach to explore the situating of information literacy into the curriculum. Action research is about the repeated application of results and findings to a specific problem of practice in a specific context. The iterative process of action research allowed for three cycles of research which culminated into an information literacy intervention aligned to the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education that resulted in changed student perceptions of their information literacy self-efficacy, skills, and abilities, all of which has the potential to translate into a changed undergraduate student learning experience.

It is well documented in literature that student teachers must become self-regulated learners to be effective teachers. As self-regulated learners, teachers can pass these vital skills to their students. The aim of this study is to determine if my self-regulated learning awareness and development (SRLAD) intervention which focuses on teaching student teachers SRL strategies, could impact their academic performance. The literature reviewed shows that SRL strategies can be successfully taught to adult learners through interventions. This practical action research study utilizes a concurrent mixed-method research design. Quantitative data from a pretest/posttest and pre/post MSLQ and qualitative data from student reflective journals were collected simultaneously. The findings were then triangulated to answer the three research questions. Participants were 33 undergraduate teachers reading for their degree in early childhood and primary education at the University of Guyana, Berbice campus (UGBC). Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as the repeated measures t-test and ANOVA. Major findings showed that student teachers were self-motivated and were able to select, assess, evaluate, and use appropriate SRL strategies to suit their learning needs and context. The SRLAD intervention had a meaningful impact on the academic performance of student teachers since they recognized the numerous benefits of incorporating SRL strategies to aid their learning and academic performance. They also realized that by consistently incorporating SRL strategies into their learning, they could become self-regulated learners and, more importantly, teach these skills to their students. As such, the SRLAD intervention should be a mandatory study skill course for all first-year student teachers at the University of Guyana.

The University of Guyana (UG) is the sole state university in the Republic of Guyana whose population is approximately 804,567. UG is currently approaching its 60th anniversary having been inaugurated on October 3, 1963. Like many higher education institutional settings, globally, UG’s ecosystem has evolved tremendously over the past decades and is being driven by an agenda that must focus on increasing efficiency and accountability. Recent economic events have contributed to this need for advancements such as the recent discovery of large deposits of oil off the coast of Guyana that is transforming the economic landscape and has accelerated the demand for qualified personnel to support a planned diversified economy. The university is also attracting an increasing number of students from outside of Guyana. UG functions inherently as a ‘loosely coupled’ higher educational institution where subsystems are fragmented. In addition, its recordkeeping systems are defective. This study explored how a properly functioning electronic records management system (ERMS) could support the institution in adoption of change initiatives, achieving good governance, and overall system effectiveness. This study was grounded in “systems theories” and applied qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the challenges of achieving overall institutional change. Four cycles of action research were completed. In the final cycle, an ERMS was piloted. Data were collected to understand the perceptions of the administrative and academic staff on how such a system (ERMS) could support the university in terms of governance and institutional cohesion. Outcomes suggested that the academic and administrative staff tend to strongly believe that a well-coordinated and effective ERMS is essential and would provide the kind of access to institutional records necessary for supporting change initiatives, employee effectiveness, and governance and institutional cohesion. They also believe that an ERMS would help to improve the decision-making processes, build trust, provide continuity, share institutional knowledge, and ultimately help to synergize the use of policies and regulations. Outcomes indicated an ERMS would help to counteract some of the challenges that are inherent in the loosely coupled nature of UG. These findings can provide the impetus to inspire a collaborative effort for advocacy and implementation.