Institute/Session Summary:

The purpose of this program is to provide participants with an overview of the basic tenets of cognitive and psychosocial student development theories, and how these can be applied to enhance interaction with students, impact students’ development, and improve student learning and performance in the classroom.

This program can make a significant contribution because many academic support professionals may be educated in a specific discipline, but do not have a strong background in cognitive and/or psychosocial student development theory. In addition, new instructors and academic support personnel can experience difficulty making a connection between theory and application when working with students.

Using a short power point presentation, we will present several well-known and well-researched college student developmental theories such as Chickering’s seven vectors of development, Perry’s scheme of nine positions, Kohlberg and Gilligan’s moral reasoning, and Tinto’s involvement theory. Then we will focus on commonalities found among them, and make practical applications to real-life scenarios using case study discussions.

Dialogue with the participants will focus on:

1. Characteristics of today’s college students (and differences by type of institution)
2. Research on the impact of students’ college experiences and involvement
3. Use of theoretical tenets to assist students in development
4. Practical ideas for challenging students to reach higher levels of development

Participants will be provided with handouts outlining and explaining the theories, copies of the case studies, and examples of how to utilize this information for student learning in classroom settings and in academic interventions/counseling. We will engage the audience by asking participants to make suggestions and practical applications based on the types of students they interact with and the various roles they fulfill on their campuses.

Participants can expect to learn a basic understanding of the theoretical concepts of student development in order to better recognize the cognitive and/or psychosocial levels of their students. Secondly, the case study discussions should allow for participants to take away ideas about how to foster cognitive and psychosocial development of their students, whether it is in the classroom or in an academic support role.

The presenters completed graduate education in college student development, and have years of experience at multiple institutions teaching study strategies/freshman seminar courses, and coordinating academic support services such as learning centers, peer tutoring, and academic counseling.

References:

Chickering, A. W. (1991). Applying the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Presenter1 Name: Stephanie Marsh
Presenter1 Institution: United States Military Academy Preparatory School
Presenter1 Bio: Stephanie is the Director of the Center for Enhanced Performance at USMA (West Point) Prep, which is the developmental education department for West Point. Responsibilities include designing curriuculum and teaching a Student Development Course, which focuses on study strategies, reading efficiency, critical thinking, and life skills, and overseeing academic counseling and support services. Previous to this, she coordinated academic support services at the University of Georgia, including peer tutoring, a comprehensive learning center, online tutoring, and a satellite office in the residence halls. She holds a doctorate in college student development and a masters in higher education student services. She has held leadership positions in ACPA, NTA, and ATP.

Presenter2 Name: Marybeth Boger
Presenter2 Institution: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Presenter2 Bio: Marybeth is the Learning Center Director at NJIT, in which she coordinates peer tutoring, academic counseling, and testing accommodations. She also teaches a freshman seminar course. Previous to this, she served as an Instructor of reading and study strategies at USMA (West Point) Prep, the developmental education department for West Point. She holds a doctorate in education.