Student Development Education: Implications for Teaching, Counseling and Administration.

This paper defines student development education as a concept which refers to professional roles of administrators, instructors, and counselors in a competency-based learning system designed to enable students to become more of what they want to be. A student development model is delineated whose essential components include student goal setting in collaboration with institutional professionals, assessment of position relative to goals, use of change strategies (instruction, consultation, milieu management) to bring about development toward goals, and evaluation to determine the extent to which goals are met and whether new goals are necessary. A taxonomy of behaviors of the well-developed student is outlined, based on three categories of student development needs: the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, of self-determination, and of the ability to control one's environment. The specific professional role responsibilities of administrators, instructors, and counselors in relation to each behavior are illustrated, and the implications and applications of the student development concept for each of these professionals are reviewed. Implementation of student development education requires review and possible revision of course objectives, program objectives, and professional objectives, as well as competency development of professionals. Possible strategies to be used in initiating these changes are suggested. (JDS)