Educating Resident Assistants on Student Development:

1. Educating Resident Assistants on Student Development: A way to facilitate more intentional practices and better prepare residential community leaders Ivan Ceballos Stephanie Chang Dina Liberatore

2. Outcomes • Learn which relevant student development theories and applications can be used to educate and train resident assistants • Review resources and examples that can aid in presenting student development to resident assistants • Discuss effective facilitation and presentation skills that will aid in effectively communicating this material to resident assistants

3. Rationale • RA Class • Student Development Theories • Relevant to RA training & training for other student leaders

4. Chickering • Develop Competence • Manage Emotions • Move through Autonomy toward Interdependence • Develop Mature Relationships • Establish Identity • Develop Purpose • Develop Integrity

5. Vector Applications • Take 3 post-its and write down an example of what you do or what you have done in college (i.e. go to class, go to the gym, etc.) on each post-it. • Place your post-it on the vector that you think is most applicable. Be able to reason why. • What at a university would influence a student’s development?

6. Vector Applications Scenario We are the welcome week planning committee. What are some programs or initiatives that we can implement that correlate with some of Chickering’s Seven Vectors.

7. Kohlberg’s Moral Development Level 1: Preconventional Stage 1: Heteronomous Morality Stage 2: Individualistic, Instrumental Morality Level 2: Conventional Stage 3: Interpersonally Normative Morality Stage 4: Social System Morality Level 3: Postconventional or Principled Stage 5: Human Rights and Social Welfare Morality Stage 6: Morality of Universalizable, Reversible, & Prescriptive General Ethical Principles

8. Moral Development Applications • Use a 4-Corners set-up (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree) • Read a scenario and move to a corner that corresponds to individual answer choice • Amongst corners, in a discussion, come up with the reasoning – why this corner • Ask corner to present their reasoning and assign reasoning to a Kolhberg stage of moral development

9. Moral Development Application Scenario As an RA, I am doing rounds and find an iPod in the lounge. I decide to keep the iPod for personal use. Which Level and Stage of Kohlberg’s Moral Development theory are we utilizing to reason through our decision?

10. Moral Development Application Scenario It is our first weekend on campus, as first-year students, we attended a party where there was alcohol involved. It was okay to drink since we are in the privacy of some else’s home. Which Level and Stage of Kohlberg’s Moral Development theory are we utilizing to reason through our decision?

11. Feedback from Students

12. Feedback from Students

14. Recommendations • Ongoing Training • Incorporated into RA class • More time dedicated to training • Expand to other developmental theories • Assessment • Reflections to assist intentional RA and residential experiences

15. References • Sorgen, K. College Student Development and Peer Education. • McGraw Hill Company (2008). Interactive figure: Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development. Retreived October 7, 2008 from http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch03/ kohlberg.mhtml • Astin, A. W. (1999). Student involvement: a developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Development, 40(5), 518-529. • Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

16. Questions and Comments Thank You!