Over the first four weeks of the term, our class has been able to understand student development theories in practice through agencies and practitioners at the University of Utah as well as colleagues across the U.S. Here are some highlights.
Tony Gonzales, the Director of the First Scholars Program, shared with us information on his program that is focused on engaging first generation students to facilitate accomplishing their academic goals. The First Scholars Program provides 20 students with a scholarship that covers tuition, room, and board for their first year as well as continued financial resources beyond their first year if they meet renewal criteria. In addition, Tony serves as an academic advisor for these students to facilitate their success. He shared some initial experiences he has had with these students as well as his use of Astin’s I-E-O Model and Theory of Involvement as well as Tinto’s later theories on retention.
Dr. Gwen Fears, Director of Orientation and Leadership, discussed the components of her department that focus on orienting new students, connecting to parents, and facilitating student leadership. She explained her model of program development, which involves theory, best practice, and listening to the student experience. These three components result in programming that is holistic in facilitating student development. For orientation, she has drawn on Kolb’s Learning Theory, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Chickering’s Seven Vectors, Holland’s Theory of Vocation Choice, and Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development.
As the class discussed Chickering’s Seven Vectors, we reflected on the Professional Development Seminar from Nichols College in Dudley, MA. This seminar teaches professional skills to college students through a number of courses that are offered to students during the entire college degree. The Seven Vectors are used to organize the content by year. For example, Developing Competence, in the First Year course focuses on time management and introduces the personal portfolio. By the senior year, students are using their portfolios, developing resumes, and engaging in a senior project. Nichols has identified areas of competency for students based on academic year of their degree progression.
Recently, the class focused on the Theory of Self-Authorship by Marcia Baxter Magolda. An example from colleagues at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT demonstrated how academic advisors could use this theory to facilitate development of self-authorship by students. In her presentation at the 2010 National Academic Advising Conference, Gale Larson explained that conversations that encourage a student to reflect on his/her experiences through dialogue with an advisor will build self-authorship. This technique is important for students as they make decisions on majors, careers, and extra-curricular activities.
Examples of applying theory to practice through guest speakers and materials from higher education colleagues are contributing to a deeper understanding of college student development. And, here’s a photo of our group that includes Dr. Fears.
