The Student Learning and Development (SLD) competency area relates to one’s knowledge and application of theories about how students learn, and the ways in which students continue to develop and mature during their college years.  The SLD competency also includes the ability of student affairs educators to “apply theory to improve and inform student affairs and teaching practice” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 32). Student affairs educators have a responsibility to know the principles of student development and learning so they can better understand the students they serve, as well as apply those principles to their creation and assessment of programs and services.

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I have a foundational level of knowledge and skills for understanding SLD theory. Through class discussions and reading in HEA 616: American Higher Education and HEA 618: Student Affairs Administration, I have learned about development theories such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning, Chickering’s Seven Vectors Theory of Identity Development, and Bronfenbrenner’s Human Ecology Theory and its application to campus ecology, or physical spaces that support a healthy living and learning environment.  Additionally, foundational documents such as The Student Personnel Point of View (ACE, 1949), Student Learning Imperative: Implications for Student Affairs (ACPA, 1994), and Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs (ACPA & NASPA, 1996) incorporate student development theory into best practices in student affairs. Through my experience working with assessment technology and completing HEA 650: Student Assessment: Tests and Measurement, I am able to describe the assessment and evaluation processes and know how to use the assessment cycle to measure aspects of learning and teaching. I also had the opportunity to research and create student learning outcomes to inform a restorative justice assessment project for my internship in Student Conduct and Community Standards.

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In HEA 617: Student Development and Learning, I am developing a foundational level of knowledge in both understanding and applying student development theories. I am studying foundations for understanding and using theory, psychosocial, cognitive-structural, integrative, and social identity development theories, and the role of student affairs educators in using and expanding upon existing theory. The theories inform my understanding of how students learn, what they learn, and how students develop increasingly complex cognitive processes. Theory can be a useful lens to understand and anticipate student development patterns among diverse populations while also recognizing that individual students are unique and have complex identities, values, and beliefs about themselves and the world in which they live. I am looking forward to upcoming assignments that involve teaching the class about disability identities and identity development and designing and presenting a theory-to-practice proposal based on a unique student profile.

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Artifacts

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Workshop Co-Presenter

I demonstrated my ability to discuss and analyze historical constructions of disability and perceptions of persons with disabilities. I discussed the importance of understanding disability identity development theories and application for both faculty and student affairs educators. I described and compared stage models and ecological approaches to understanding and supporting students with disabilities.

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