Lisa's+Session-Work+Group+5-Smart+et+al.

__ Work group #5 __ -Smart et al.: Holland’s theory and patterns of college student success **IUB members: Tony, John, Dawn, Hongcai ** Each group member will post responses to the following questions on your group's work page. Please respond to the following: · What are the authors proposing? The authors are proposing that Holland’s Theory is applicable to greater understanding of student success through greater understanding of individuals and environments of post-secondary education. Specifically, the authors encourage faculty and administrators to be mindful of the values of a student's academic environment when assessing that student's success. · Tell us why you agree or disagree with their approaches, recommendations, theories, and/or models? I appreciated how the strength of Holland’s Theory in matching a student’s interests to respective “appropriate” majors could be viewed as a limitation for students. I like that the authors are pushing success measures beyond the constraints of “students’ past or present personality profile” but have a more futuristic approach as to what the student could be…. If student success is influenced by academic environment (e.g., major fields), I'm curious about how we can determine success of lower-division students who are undecided. Is success only something that can be measured upon graduation? · Please describe how you would improve or add to the proposed project. As stated by the authors, “advice provided students need not be constrained by students’ past or present personality profile, but rather can be grounded in a more developmentally and futuristically orientated perspective based on the broad repertoire of competencies and interests that students desire to develop as a result of their collegiate experience” (pg. 3). In short – environments play a huge role in understanding how students navigate through the processes of change in higher ed. They are much more than and should not be limited to the “person” that they were upon arrival their first year… In talking about the roles personality type and academic environment play in student success, I didn't see anything about people. Specifically, I would spend some time exploring the impact of peers. How do fellow students influence someone's personality type as well as the academic environment? Do they? · Post comments/feedback on one of your group members post.

Please post all responses on your work group page //no later// than __12:00 pm on Tuesday, March 24__.