Student Learning & Development (SLD)

The Student Learning and Development competency focuses on the best methods to instruct students that are both research-informed and applicable to the field. Students learn in a variety of ways and there are multiple theories as to how students learn best. This competency focuses on the importance of theory and how it can inform teaching practices, both academic and social. The ACPA and NASPA explain that this competency "includes the ability to apply theory to improve and inform student affairs and teaching practice" (2015,  p. 32). As student affairs professionals,  our students are always learning and it is our responsibility to know how best to instruct and support their development into individuals. 

As of June 2024, I would place myself at the foundational level of this competency. With my educational background, I have experience working with student learning in development and K-12 educational theories. However, I have some experience with higher education theories and student learning.  

While I am still learning about the formal theories that surround the student affairs world, I have some practice with informal theories. In my Student Development Theory class, I was asked to create my informal theories about the college experience. My favorite informal theory that I came up with was that when presented with a challenge or difficulties, students will always adapt to meet it because students are not stagnant beings.  With this informal theory in mind, this informs my perception of resilience in students.  When thinking about the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, including students, were uncertain about how they would handle the college shutdown. However, despite the intense restrictions, college students rose to the challenge and found success.   If students can manage to attend college during a global pandemic, just think of all the other challenges that they will be able to overcome. 

The assessment of teaching strategies is another part of the student learning and development competency. Students can only learn as well as they are taught, so it is important to always be evaluating our teaching methods. As a Resident Assistant, I was required to lead an Anti-Defamation League training that taught about the importance of diversity and inclusion to all of my residents. First, my supervisor led me through the training, and then I was expected to lead my residents in the training. After I had been trained, I went through and assessed the training. I examined the questions and problems that came up during my training and adapted them so that my residents wouldn't face the same problems I did. 

This is definitely a competency that I need to grow in and one that I think I will enjoy. Because of my educational background, I am noticing a lot of overlap between my undergraduate and graduate theory work. I am excited to learn more and develop more in the realm of theory and its application. 

In August of 2022, I attended an Anti-Defamation League "Hate Uncycled" Conference at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. This conference highlighted the increase in campus bias and hate incidents. I participated in a variety of workshop activities that asked me to reflect on myself and my campus environment. After attending the conference, I was allowed to lead the same workshop activities with a group of 33 undergraduate residents. This led to a large group discussion that I facilitated, where students were able to share their beliefs, ideas, and perceptions of the campus climate. 

In October of 2023, I attended the Wisconsin College Personnel Association Conference. Through this experience, I learned about some of the initiatives that college campuses were implementing across Wisconsin. It was fascinating to learn about the differences between colleges and how different colleges best met the needs of their students. 

To grow through professional development opportunities the next step for me would be to join a committee or task force that focuses on student development. Whether it be in Residence Life or another department, I would like to use the knowledge that I have to improve the lives of students on campus. 

As of August 2024, I would place myself at the intermediate level of this competency. During my first semester of graduate school, I enrolled in SAA 702: Student Development Theory. The class aimed to deepen my understanding of formal and informal theory in higher education and the Student Learning and Development competency. As stated in my initial reflection, I have a background in student development theory from a K-12 perspective. I learned about Piaget, Vygotsky, and Montessori in my undergraduate that provided a starting point for student theories at the collegiate level.  Originally, I thought that K-12 educational theories could be applied just the same to college students; however, I learned that college students are much more complex. I needed to learn more about what impacts higher education students in particular, if I wanted to help them succeed in the best way. Throughout the semester, I learned about various theories, including but not limited to Astin’s Theory of Involvement, Sanford’s Theory of Challenge and Support, and Schlossberg’s Transition Theory. These theories helped me understand how college students are influenced and how those influences can impact them. 

My learning was tested in a group project where a partner and I applied higher education theories to a college-based film. This presentation connects directly to the foundational quality of “articulat[ing] theories and models that describe the development of college students and the conditions and practices that facilitate holistic development” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 30).  As a group, we settled on the movie Good Will Hunting and extrapolated three theories that could be seen through the depiction of characters and scenarios in the film. This project encouraged us to examine the characters, settings, and plot points to really understand theories that help professionals understand higher education behavior. Because I had the opportunity to practice identifying situations where formal theories could be applied, I remember the particular theories more. Without this project, I truly think I would have had a difficult time applying what I learned in the textbook to my profession. Oftentimes, I can get stuck when learning through textbooks because I am an experiential learner. However, this project stretched me to grow in my ability to learn and allowed me to practice applying theory. This project has developed my understanding of students and the formal theories that inform our practice as higher education professionals. 

The class’s culminating project for the semester was to analyze two case studies that displayed a situation and then draft a paper about the theories that could be applied to the situation, as well as potential solutions. This project let me practice the intermediate quality of “recogniz[ing] how identity influences student development” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 29). By reading through these case studies, I had to truly understand what was going on with the student and then apply formal theory to explain the situation. This forced me to identify the impacts of various people, cultures, and societal norms that can influence a student’s development. For my paper, I examined case studies that were specific to students with disabilities. I had to look into the students’ identities (a person who is disabled) and analyze how that student will develop differently than their able-bodied peers. This helped me recognize and eliminate some of my unintentional biases, which can be realized when working with students with disabilities. Because I can apply both formal and informal theories to this situation, it will help me recognize how the students I work with are impacted and how their development may vary from their peers. 

American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. (2015). ACPA/NASPA professional competency areas for student affairs educators. 

American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. (2016). ACPA/NASPA professional competencies rubrics.