Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:
Pose an alternative view of how student development theory can be used to describe your colleague’s posting
Summarize a personal experience that supports your colleague’s posting
Attending an institution of higher education is a great step in furthering and individual’s education. In today’s world there is a diverse range of college students from all over the world attending college in the United States. Technology is one big factor that is different then when I first attended college twenty years ago. Most resources back then were found within a book in the library and now the world wide web has every source of information that we can possibly need. I honestly do not think that students know how to find a book by the catalog to find resources.
College is also a lot more costly. I remember going to community college and taking 12 credits and the tuition was relatively cheap. More now than ever, it is important to have a college degree. Twenty years ago, a high school diploma could get you a fairly good job but not anymore.
Student Development Theory
The Student Development Theory is a section of academic study that educates or guides student affairs and higher education practice (Patton, Renn, Guido & Quaye, 2016). This theory can be used “as a tool to inform decisions” about teaching (Skipper, 2005). The student development theory “provides faculty with a way to understand their students and a framework for making informed decisions a d pedagogy” (Skipper, 2005). Student development theory is generally how students acquire knowledge in an institution of higher education.
The student from the media segment that stood out the most to me was the first-year female student from China who’s major was not decided. She stated that her peers and upper classmates had given her a lot of advice about attending school in the US and advised that it would be beneficial if she furthered her education in the US. It cannot be easy coming from one country to a totally different culture. There are a lot of different social norms. The student development theory has a few parts. This theory “provides faculty with a way to understand their students and making informed decisions” (Skipper, 2005) about the method and practice of teaching that will be used for an academic subject. As an educator it is important that each student is treated fairly and has the resources needed in order for them to succeed. The student development theory will help the faculty find effective teaching techniques in order to help this student succeed and complete the course.
The College Experience
In the media segment there was a black male that was a first-year college student majoring in Sociology and Studio Art. He stated that the hardest thing for him was coming to a college where most of the population is Caucasian students because he came from a high school of predominantly African American students. He found it hard to adjust because he had to deal with a lot of racial issues because he had to explain where he comes from and why he does the things that he does. He was very surprised about what he learned about himself intellectually and how he adjusted to rural life coming from New York City. He learned a lot about himself in other ways and received a better sense of who he is and a better idea of who he wanted to be.
I believe that he did know what to expect when first coming to this college, but his way of thinking and how he interacts with others has grown through this college experience.
References:
Patton, L. D., Renn, K. A., Guido-DiBrito, F., & Quaye, S. J. (2016). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.
Skipper, T. L. (2005). Student development in the first college year: A primer for college educators. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina.
