The value of higher education, and particularly the four-year undergraduate venture influenced from the liberal arts tradition, is largely framed around the impact it has on a broad range of skills and dispositions that serve to enhance human flourishing. Employers and society more broadly can benefit from individuals who are committed to careful…

This article explores students' experiences of intellectual, social, and emotional growth during the first year at university and the extent to which these experiences can be considered transformative (Mezirow, 1981). The study is a qualitative interpretive multiple-case study built on semi-structured interviews with students in two higher…

A greater number of campuses have broadened concepts related to student development connecting traditional student affairs and campus auxiliary services. This connection is increasingly evident in the evolution of sustainability concerns and activities. This chapter explores the role of campus auxiliaries in the promotion of campus environmental…

Surveys of employers continually highlight the need for better communication skills among recent college graduates. Yet, writing instruction in higher education serves far more than a transactional purpose. Writing facilitates learning, helps students gain skills in analysis and synthesis, and supports a range of other personal and intellectual…

Stresses that critical thinking is more than a set of skills; it also involves intellectual traits that should be cultivated. These traits include intellectual humility, courage, empathy, integrity, and perseverance; faith in reason; and fair-mindedness. Self-questioning is an important means of developing these traits. (SL)

This article suggests that secondary schools offer upperclassmen the opportunity to inquire objectively into the language and structure of morality. (Editor)

The traditional college curriculum is seen as a collection of answers for students who do not yet have the questions; an alternative approach that nurtures students' capacities for inquiry is suggested and outlined. (MSE)

A teaching workshop for faculty from member liberal arts colleges in the Central Pennsylvania Consortium is reported. Presentations of the William Perry scheme of student intellectual and moral development are described. (MLW)

Discusses the assignment of student logbooks in undergraduate geography classes. Observes that logbooks provide teachers with feedback from and greater knowledge of students. Asserts that logbook writing promotes better thinking by students, and allows them to learn about themselves and the course. Offers suggestions for teachers. (SG)

This conversation began with the question: what has teaching Appalachian Studies taught us about teaching in general? Several themes emerged. Teaching Appalachian studies makes the subject matter relevant to the personal growth of students; requires innovative curriculum development; and because of its activist past, connects naturally with…

The reflective judgment model offers a rich context for analysis of science and science teaching. It provides deeper understanding of the scientific process and its critical thinking and reveals fundamental connections between science and the other liberal arts. Classroom techniques from a college chemistry course illustrate the utility of the…

College honors programs provide an especially promising context in which to promote reflective judgment by challenging and expanding students' intellectual horizons. However, faculty must carefully assess the different levels of cognitive development among their students, cultivate the skills of reflective judgment accordingly, and understand that…

Discusses beliefs about autonomy, curriculum, and reading that inform the teaching model of critical thinking. It suggests that teaching critical thinking in college as it has evolved into teaching of informal logic is not sufficient for actualizing the ideal of education for autonomy. (SM)

Highlights epistemological development of young adults, including the nature of problems commonly confronted by college students, by reporting on an investigation into the epistemic orientation of general education faculty, focusing on their assumptions about typical undergraduates' approaches to reasoning; and discusses implications for…

A reflective judgment model of adult intellectual development is proposed, for use by college faculty and staff in helping students question their assumptions about knowing and learning and in making more reflective judgments. The model is based on cognitive development theory and has specific implications for the college years. (MSE)