Theories of College Student Development
Fall 2004, Course 8
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
Course Overview:
A stated goal of the student affairs profession is to maximize the development of students both affectively and cognitively. To accomplish this goal, student affairs professionals must have a clear understanding of the challenges facing students throughout their lifetimes and the processes by which development occurs. Professionals must also be aware of factors that impact on development and be able to work with individuals, groups, and organizations within the diverse campus community to establish learning environments conducive to the development of students from a variety of backgrounds.
A knowledge of the theories and methods of human development and their applications in college settings will assist student affairs professionals in accomplishing these goals. This three week course will serve as an overview of some of the foundational theories that guide student affairs practice. Through readings, personal reflections, and threaded discussions, participants will gain an understanding of the utility of these theories to the student affairs profession. In particular, the course will focus on selected theories from the cognitive-structural, psycho-social, and social identity domains.
Course Outline:
Each week of the course will be devoted to one of three major domains of student development theory: psychosocial, cognitive-structural, and social identity. During each section, participants will be introduced to the tenets of theories from a particular domain and how they can be applied in higher education settings.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, active participants will:
- Understand three of the major domains of student development theories.
- Compare and contrast the tenets of various psychosocial theories (e.g., Erikson, Chickering & Reisser, etc.)
- Compare and contrast the tenets of various cognitive-structural theories (e.g., Perry, Kohlberg & Gilligan, etc.)
- Compare and contrast the tenets of various social identity theories (e.g., Cross, Cass, etc.)
- Recognize the impact of cultural background on personal development.
- Explore how these theories may help participants to understand their own development better
- Apply student development theory to the situations in which course participants work.
- Where appropriate, learn about ways to assess the development of students.
Participant Expectations:
Participants should expect to devote about 5 hours during each of the three weeks of the course in order to make a solid contribution to the class. Assignments will include selected online readings, personal reflections, and threaded discussions. This is a discussion based course that is dependent upon each student being prepared to be open and honest with regard to their views of the material. Active participation in the discussion board will significantly enhance the learning experience and help bring the course material to life.
Individuals registering for CEUs will receive 1.0 CEU upon successful
completion of the course.
Instructor Bio:
Daniel Salter, Ph.D. is currently teaching development psychology at Lock Haven University and was recently on the graduate faculty at Penn Sate University. Over the past 10 years, he has taught coursework in Student Development Theory, Human Development Across the Lifespan, College Environments and Cultures, and Testing and Assessment, at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He is the author of a published environmental assessment instrument (the SETA), and some of his recent research has involved ways to address the chilly academic climate for college women through the use of Jungian psychology. Dr. Salter is on the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development and has given many conference presentations related to student learning and development.
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