Dreeben School of Education Faculty Member and Students Published

After presenting at the Learning Ideas Conference, an annual event dedicated to exploring the uses of technology to improve education and workplace learning, select conference participants were invited to submit an article to the International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning (iJAC). One such participant was Dr. Lisa Brown, assistant professor in the UIW Dreeben School of Education (DSE). Brown maintains a small group of DSE graduate students that she mentors and works with, who were extended the opportunity to serve as co-authors on the piece called Corporate Digital Literacy Mandates: Using SDT-Based Strategies to Circumvent “Quiet Quitting” Syndrome. Each co-author brought their unique academic lens to the project, resulting in both a successful publication for the team as well as personal professional development for each of them.

“As an emerging scholar in the Dreeben School of Education, the opportunity to work with Dr. Brown on developing a scholarly article embodied experiential learning and adult knowledge creation,” shared Pamela McCray, a UIW doctoral student with a concentration in Organizational Leadership and Evaluation. “Dr. Brown was an amazing mentor who helped with applying theory and real-life experience in formulating our case study to share knowledge with others. The article provided an invaluable way to interact with faculty to strengthen academic writing skills and reflexivity to build my confidence and abilities.”

“I was very excited to obtain a second co-authored publication this academic year with the DSE students I am mentoring in our Graduate Studies Department programs,” added Brown. “I was thrilled to learn that the International Journal for Advance Corporate Learning found our scholarship worthy of sharing with other scholars and practitioners focused on corporate learning among adults internationally. I am very proud of our UIW emerging scholars and honored to help encourage their successful academic writing.”

The group’s article explored the phenomenon of “quiet quitting,” a term recently made popular by Tik Tok influencers and social media memes. Quiet quitting speaks to the contemporary shifting in values surrounding compensated labor and how the use of digital learning, technology and remote work has blurred the boundaries of home and office. Its popularity increased among millennials whose generational precursors believed in notions of “hustle culture” or rewards being tethered to a worker’s dedication to a company and self-sacrifice, which may or may not lead to promotion and material wealth. The phenomenon emphasizes the need to achieve work-life balance and has become a topic of research and debate in corporate settings.  

"As a society, we have just recently begun hearing the term "quiet quitting,” explained Lisa Caldwell, a current student in the DSE master's to Ph.D. program. “…I believe [our work] will be beneficial in drawing attention to the importance of understanding 'quiet quitting' within workplaces.”

In addition to the chance to enhance their professional portfolios with the recent publication, the students all shared that they were most grateful for the opportunity to continue growing in their field.

“Co-authoring with Dr. Brown and my peers is an indicator of shared scholarship,” shared Jeffrey Neal, co-author and fifth-year learner in the Ph.D. program. “As a life-long learner, I find joy in continuing to learn.”