Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Leadership and Policies

First Advisor

Chas Thompson

Abstract

Graduate student disengagement has increased in higher education, especially after changes from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as automation, remote work, and less face- to-face interaction. This dissertation-in-practice investigated whether relationship-focused interventions could boost student engagement. Guided by Social Exchange Theory and Improvement Science, it used a Plan–Do–Study–Act framework to develop and refine a professional development lunch program. The intervention aimed to promote reciprocal interactions between students and staff based on shared goals. Data from observations, attendance, surveys, and interviews were analyzed across three cycles.

This study illustrates how improvement science serves as a practical, systems- focused approach to tackling problems through small, scalable, relationship-focused changes. It offers a model that academic departments can replicate to boost graduate student engagement, strengthen institutional culture, and sustain alumni connections in the post-pandemic era. It identifies the student–staff microsystem as a crucial leverage point for addressing disengagement and demonstrates how improvement science provides a straightforward, systems-based approach to resolving relational problems in higher education.

Rights

© 2026, Elizabeth Ellen Caulder

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