Sheena Kauppila
Assistant Professor; Coordinator, Ph.D. in Education Sciences
Contact Sheena Kauppila
843-349-4098 skauppila@coastal.eduPrince 105K
Office Hours: Monday,12-2 p.m. (in-person or Zoom) and 5-6 p.m. (Zoom)Book a Student Hours Appointment
Biography
Sheena Kauppila, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of higher education administration and the coordinator of the Ph.D. in Education Sciences program in the Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences. Dr. Kauppila received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah. She also holds a M.Ed. in Counseling, Student Affairs from Northern Arizona University and a B.M. in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Kauppila previously worked at Michigan Tech University as the Assistant Director of Orientation Programs, and Southern Utah University as the Coordinator of Student Engagement & Orientation.
Dr. Kauppila's research interests are focused on the success and outcomes of community college students, student-faculty engagement, and faculty development. She utilizes mixed methods and is focused on bridging research and practice. Dr. Kauppila has worked on several national grants including Credit When It's Due and Degrees When Due that examine the implementation and impact of reverse credit transfer and adult reengagement policies in several states. She has developed multiple quantitative research projects using institutional, IPEDS, UI, BPS, CPS, and other state-level longitudinal and national datasets to study the impact of programs on students’ academic and workforce outcomes. Dr. Kauppila is a Research Affiliate with the Collaborative for Higher Education Research and Policy.
Interesting Facts
She remodeled an old RV and traveled the US for 10 months while writing her dissertation. She continues her exploration of state and national parks and public lands. She has also taught tuba lessons as adjunct faculty.
Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications
Taylor, J.L., Cortes-López, E., & Kauppila, S.A. (2022). Exploring the intersection between broad access institutions and transfer. In G. Crisp, K. R. McClure, & C. M. Orphan (Eds.), Unlocking opportunity through broadly accessible institutions. Routledge.
Giani, M., Taylor, J.L., & Kauppila, S.A. (2021). Examining the educational and employment outcomes of reverse credit transfer. AERA Open, 7(1), 1-15.
Taylor, J.L., Rubin, P.G., Kauppila, S.A., & Davis, L. (2021). Unpacking implementation capacity and contexts for degree reclamation strategies: What factors move the equity needle? Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(27), 1-24.
Recent Presentations
Kauppila, S.A. (2022, May). Competence and care: Instructor behaviors that matter. Teaching, Learning, & Technology Virtual Conference. College of Charleston.
Taylor, J.L., Kauppila, S.A., Rubin, P.G., Davis, L., Pocai, J., & Stovall, K. (2021, November). Identifying and reengaging adult students: Insights and lessons learned from a national initiative. Association for the Study of Higher Education annual meeting. San Juan, PR.
Kauppila, S.A. (2020, November). Deciding to engage with faculty: A constructivist grounded theory study. Association for the Study of Higher Education virtual annual meeting.
Taylor, J.L., Kauppila, S.A., Rubin, P.G., Stovall, K., & Kevern, T. (2020, November). Identifying and reengaging students with some college, no degree: Initial results and projections from a national initiative. Association for the Study of Higher Education virtual annual meeting.
Recent Public Scholarship
Davis, L., Pocai, J., Taylor, J.L., Kauppila, S.A., & Rubin, P.G. (2022, April). Lighting the path to remove systemic barriers in higher education and award postsecondary credentials through IHEP’s degrees when due initiative. Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Kauppila, S.A. & Davis, L. (2022, January 7). Targeting the technical: Prioritizing analysis of student transcripts in degree reclamation efforts to improve student completion outcomes. Data at Work blog. https://sites.ihep.org/postsecdata/data-at-work/targeting-technical-prioritizing-analysis-student-transcripts-degree
Taylor, J.L., Klein-Collins, R., Kauppila, S.A., & Hudson, S. (2022, January). Targeting the technical: Prioritizing analysis of student transcripts in degree reclamation efforts to improve student completion outcomes. Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Kauppila, S.A., Rubin, P.G., Taylor, J.L., Stovall, K.L. (2022, January). Degrees When Due: Bowling Green State University Case Study. Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Kauppila, S.A., Rubin, P.G., Taylor, J.L., & Stovall, K.L. (2021, October). Degrees When Due: Anoka Ramsey Community College Case Study. Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Rubin, P.G., Kauppila, S.A., Taylor, J.L., & Stovall, K.L. (2021, September). Degrees When Due: Shasta College Case Study. Institute for Higher Education Policy.