In 2007, I embarked on a PhD study to explore diverse students' experiences, representations and understandings of personal development and personal development planning at one British university. The timing of this project was critical because universities were charged with a responsibility to provide opportunities for students to engage with…

Both as a method of measurement and as a theoretical hypothesis, syntactic maturity (SM) has profoundly affected thinking about verbal growth and ways to enhance that growth. On the positive side, SM is easy to use, requiring no elaborate training in grammar or statistics, and it is quantifiable providing an objective numerical index of…

A study investigated whether college environments known to provide unusually rich out-of-class learning opportunities are associated with different patterns of student learning and personal development. Data were gathered during a year-long examination of institutional conditions associated with student involvement in out-of-class learning…

This paper reviews two areas of limitations concerning college outcome assessments and argues that while cognitive outcomes may be effectively measured during the students' academic careers, the perceptions of alumni are a necessary component of the assessment of affective outcomes. The limitations that are addressed concern first, determining…

The Six Performance Characteristics rating, An Alverno College assessment technique used in the outcome-centered liberal arts curriculum, is discussed. The technique provides a means for faculty to judge students in a systematic way over time on developmental characteristics that apply to their performance across disciplines and across competence…