Jackson State University professor Dr. Jie Ke was selected as the recipient of the 2014 Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) South Wayne Whelan Research Grant.
Ke was awarded the grant for her research proposal entitled, “African American Adult Undergraduates in Focus: Motivations, Expectations and Aspirations.”
The purpose of the study is to understand motivations and aspirations of returning African-American adult learners; to gain perceptions of African-American undergraduates on the effectiveness of classroom teaching, advising and support services; and foster teaching innovation by creating cognitive adult teaching and learning models, recommending learning infrastructure and facilitation strategies and bridging the gaps between teaching and learning.
Ke credited the JSU Academy for Research and Scholarly Engagement with helping her develop her winning proposal. The academy helps advance the careers of emerging scholars by ensuring that they establish a compelling research agenda, participate in a community of scholars, and obtain external funding.
ACHE chair Dan Connell said the selection committee was “very impressed” with the “quality and scope” of Ke’s proposal.
Ke is an assistant professor of Human Resource Development at JSU. She is also the managing editor of the Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Center for the Healing of Racism (CFHR). Her research interests include evaluation and assessment, diversity training, international human resource development and management, talent management and effectiveness of e-Learning.
The grant award will be presented during the ACHE South Annual Conference in Nashville on April 14.