Biography
Dr. Deborah Worley is a Professor in the Higher Education master's and doctoral programs at the University of North Dakota (UND). She teaches a variety of courses at the graduate level covering subject matter on collegiate environments, student development theory, college student experiences, higher education administration, and higher education student and support services. Her research is focused on examining student success beyond the college years. This topic includes investigating and assessing varying components of the college student experience both in and out of the classroom. She also examines college student experiences from a historical perspective, which provides a knowledge base to better understand contemporary college student learning experiences and higher education environments. Prior to her career at UND, Dr. Worley worked in student affairs at Cornell University (NY) and Bowling Green State University (OH). Her primary duties were in career services and cooperative education.
HE 501: Introduction to Higher Education Administration
HE 505: The College Student
HE 507: Collegiate Environments
HE 511: Program Development
HE 529: Higher Education Capstone Seminar (Master's)
HE 538: College Student Experiences
HE 561: Higher Education Curriculum
HE 564: Higher Education Student & Support Services
HE 592: Internship in Higher Education
TL 541: History of Higher Education in the US
TL 543: Scholarly Writing
My research is focused on examining student success beyond the college years. This topic includes investigating and assessing varying components of the college student experience, such as cooperative education and other activities in which students engage, both in and out of the classroom. In this same vein, I explore ways in which assessment of student learning takes place.
I also find value in examining college student experiences from a historical perspective, which provides a knowledge base to better understand contemporary college student learning experiences and higher education environments. I am currently engaged in a study of how culture is communicated by higher education institutions through campus traditions.
Selected Publications and Presentations:
Worley, D. (2021). Mugs, Jugs, Bells, and Bowls: Traveling Football Trophies as Campus Traditions and Windows into Institutional Culture at Division III Institutions. In C. Anderson and A. Lattuca (Eds.), Perspectives on the History of Higher Education (volume 34): The History of American College Football: Institutional Policy, Culture, and Reform (pp. 151-166). New York: Routledge.
Worley, D., & Herbert, M. (2020, November). Introducing Alma Mater: The Role of New Student Convocations in Communicating Institutional Culture at Flagship Universities. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, virtual.
Worley, D. (2020). Community in retrospect: Exploration and evolution of communities in residence halls. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 46(2), 96-108.
Worley, D., & Burrows, T. (2020, October). Other Duties as Assigned: Understanding Trends for the Assessment Profession Using Job Description Content Analysis. Paper presented at the 2020 Assessment Institute, virtual
Ozaki, C. C., Worley, D., Cherry, E., & Kehn, A. (2019). What do you really want students to know? Perspectives of faculty in the creative disciplines about learning and assessment. Journal of General Education, 68(3-4), 119-143. DOI: 10.5325/jgeneeduc.68.3-4.0119
Worley, D. (2019). Exploring Ways to Consider Campus Traditions in Higher Education Research. Presented at the 2019 Association for the Study of Higher Education, Portland, OR.
Worley, D. (2019). Questionable partnerships. In M. Benjamin & J. Jessup-Anger (Eds.), Maybe I Should. . . Case Studies on Ethics for Student Affairs Professionals (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: ACPA-International.
Worley, D., & Radi, D. (2019). [Review of the book From Single to Serious: Relationships, Gender, and Sexuality on American Evangelical Campuses, by D. M. Malone]. Journal of Student Affairs Research & Practice, 56(4), 469-471.
Worley, D., Kaabouch, N., Cavalli, M., Marasinghe, K., Oncel, N., Pierce, D., Tande, B., & Zhao. J. (2017). Student perspectives on learning in a course on engineering applications for nanoscience and nanotechnology. In Proceedings of the 2017 International Conference on Frontiers in Education: Computer Science & Computer Engineering, FECS 2017 (pp. 73-76). Las Vegas, NV: CSREA Press, ISBN 1-60132-457
Ozaki, C., Worley, D., Cherry, E., & Kehn, A. (2016, November). What do you really want students to know? Perspectives of faculty in the creative disciplines about learning and assessment. Paper presented at the 2016 Association for the Study of Higher Education, Columbus, OH.
Ozaki, C., Worley, D., Cherry, E., & Kehn, A. (2016, October). Act Two: Moving Beyond Case Studies Toward A Multidisciplinary Assessment of Learning in the Arts. Paper presented at the 2016 Assessment Institute, Indianapolis, IN.
Worley, D., Alogali, A., & Kittridge, K. (2016, September). Campus Traditions as Windows to Institutional Culture. Paper presented at the 2016 Consortium of Higher Education Researchers. Cambridge, England.
Kaabouch, N., Worley, D., Cavalli, M., & Oncel, N. (2016). No small feat: Building a nanoscience and nanotechnology program for engineering undergraduate students. In Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education (paper ID #14881). Available at https://peer.asee.org/25799
Ozaki, C. C., Worley, D., & Cherry, E. (2015). Assessing the work: An exploration of assessment in the musical theatre arts. Research & Practice in Assessment, 10, 12-29.
Khavanin, M., Neubert, J., Worley, D., & Kaabouch, N. (2014). Minimizing the institutional change required to augment calculus with real world engineering problems. PRIMUS: Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 24(4), 319-334. DOI: 10.1080/10511970.2013.879970
Kaabouch, N., Worley, D., Neubert, J., & Khavanin, M. (2013). Retention in engineering programs: Integrating real world problems in calculus courses to increase student learning and interest in engineering. In Proceedings of the 2013 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) North Midwest Section Conference (paper ID #0041). Available at http://whavenlabs.com/ASEEConference/html/papers/ASEE-NMWSC2013-0041.pdf
Worley, D., & Wells-Dolan, A. E. (2012). Transport and telescope: Services for Students, 1937-2012. In K. Boyle, J. Lowery, & J. Mueller (Eds.), Reflections on the 75th Anniversary of the Student Personnel Point of View (pp. 46-52). Washington, DC: ACPA-International.
Worley, D. & Healy, M. (2012, November). Make it come together: The trifecta of standards, competencies, and expectations for graduate-level preparation programs. Paper presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Las Vegas, NV.
Worley, D. & Gjellstad, M. (2012, August). Using Reacting to the Past (RTTP) Pedagogy to Operationalize Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning. Paper presented at the 19th International Conference on Learning, London, England.
Wells-Dolan, A. E., & Worley, D. (2011). Sororities. In B. J. Bank (Ed.), Gender and higher education (pp. 298-304). Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. (Reprinted from Gender and education: An Encyclopedia, pp. 509-515, by B.J. Bank, Ed., 2007, Westport, CT: Praeger).
Worley, D. (2011). Work is good for you: Demonstrating the value of integrated work experiences [Researcher’s Forum]. Experience (a trade journal for cooperative education professionals), 1(1), 36-37.
Worley, D. (2010). The benefits of preparation: Examining the relationship between integrated work experiences and post-graduation pursuits for baccalaureate completers. Journal of Cooperative Education & Internships, 44(1), 23-33.
University of North Dakota (UND) Outstanding Assessment Award (2021)
University of North Dakota (UND) Award for Excellence in Online Course Development and Innovative Teaching Strategies (2021)
Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Peer Corps Member (2019)
University of North Dakota (UND) College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Sponsored Funding Recognition Award (2016)
NASPA Region IV-W Outstanding Graduate Faculty Member (2014)
University of North Dakota (UND) North Dakota Spirit Faculty Achievement Award (2013)
University of North Dakota (UND) College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Excellence in Teaching Award (2012)
Ralph Tyler Research Award (Cooperative Education & Internship Association) – awarded for outstanding and distinguished research on cooperative education and internships (2011)
ACPA – College Student Educators International Faculty Research Grant Award Co-Recipient (2010)
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI, Oxford, MS
Doctor of Philosophy Degree: August 2008
Major: Higher Education
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, Knoxville, TN
Master of Science Degree: May 1999
Major: College Student Personnel
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, Athens, GA
Bachelor of Arts Degree: June 1995
Major: Romance Languages (Spanish and French)
Assistant/Interim Associate Director, Career Center
BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY, Bowling Green, OH (December 2003 – July 2005)
Assistant Director, Engineering Cooperative Education & Career Services
CORNELL UNIVERSITY, Ithaca, NY (July 1999 – November 2003)