Abstract
ACOLLEGE EDUCATION ENTAILS a per-sonal transformation from dependence on authority to interdependent thought and action. In this issue we have pooled the innovative thinking of an array of educators—college presidents, chief academic and student affairs officers, faculty, and students—to illuminate multiple approaches to learning-centered practice that enables this personal transformation. Collectively these authors address learning contexts as far flung as personal well-being, Greek life, core curricula, and large scale institutional transformation.
Diane Troyer describes the rare opportunity to construct a comprehensive college from the ground up. Jolene Koester, Harry Hellenbrand, and Terry Piper reveal the process by which they spearheaded the transformation of their large public university to a learning paradigm. Dennis Roberts and Erin Huffman tell the story of using Fraternal Futures to engage students in re-envisioning the culture and future of Greek life. Mary Kay Jordan-Fleming, Michael Klabunde, and Cynthia Zane share their revision and assessment of the core curriculum at a small Catholic college. Walter Kimbrough calls on students in black Greek organizations to transform their culture. David Spano addresses the role of students, parents, and educators in supporting students who struggle to cope with the intensity of personal transformation.
A key thread evident throughout these stories is this: multiple matters bear upon student learning. Budgetary and architectural decisions can have as much to do with how students experience college as do Greek affairs policies and choices instructors make in the classroom. Thus, exploring the many facets of learning and personal transformation in college and enacting cultural change requires sustained dialogue among a wide range of educators. As these stories illustrate, broad participation and inclusion of many perspectives allow educators at multiple institutional levels to form a shared vision that ultimately leads to collective action. This window into innovative thinking and collective action reveals pathways to make learning-centered practice a reality.
The mix of editorial content and wide variety of authors’ institutional roles represented in this issue exemplify our vision for About Campus, to offer a forum for a broad cross section of educators and other stakeholders to discuss issues related to student learning. Here, student affairs professionals, faculty members, policy makers, members of the general public, and others gather to share a conversation about the one issue that brings us together—facilitating the learning process of college students.
Please consider joining the conversation. Potential authors will find guidance for writing from this holistic vantage point on the American College Personnel Association Web site under http://www.myacpa.org/ac/ac_authorguidelines.cfm. On the facing page, we offer an excerpt of these guidelines. If you have questions regarding these guidelines or writing for About Campus, I invite you to contact me at
ONLINE For more detailed author instructions, please see http://www.myacpa.org/ac/ac_authorguidelines.cfm. Author guidelines, sample articles, pay-per-view back issues, and more are available at About Campus's online home on Wiley InterScience: http://www.wileyinterscience.com/journal/aboutcampus. Guidelines and sample articles are under the “For Authors” link.
Author Guidelines
ABOUT CAMPUS IS A bimonthly magazine for those who want to thoughtfully examine the issues, policies, and practices that influence the learning experiences of college students. Even though About Campus is sponsored by the American College Personnel Association, it addresses an audience that goes well beyond student affairs to include all those on campus (administrators, faculty, and staff) who are concerned with student learning. To speak effectively to such a broad array of people and to draw them into a discussion of the issues that affect student learning, we encourage authors to use strategies such as:
frame issues quickly and effectively to attract readers’ attention develop ideas and present information clearly and dynamically reveal implications of the work for a wide range of readers
We are not looking for “academic articles” as tradi-tionally defined. We are looking for articles, including those from academics, that share important discoveries and insights into what makes campuses good places for students to learn and what can be done to make them more effective learning environments. Please keep this imperative in mind as you craft your article.
The Kinds of Articles that Appear in about Campus
Features
Features provide an in-depth look at issues in a range of areas affecting undergraduate education. They offer some background, present results of new research, or explore new perspectives. Each feature approaches a timely topic from an original angle and shows the relevance to student learning, the outcomes that have and haven't been achieved, and the paths toward better practice. Features draw upon current literature, are written in a narrative form, and include vivid description. Length: 2800-5000 words. Editor: Marcia B. Baxter Magolda, Miami University,
In Practice
The purpose of In Practice is to profile innovative campus programs that foster student learning. Describing unique or particularly successful programs or services in a college or university setting, each article typically includes practical details of implementation such as staffing and evaluation. We encourage authors to explore the challenges of putting the program in place, the strategies used to address these challenges, and benefits to students that have been documented. Length: 1200, 1800, or 2400 words. Editor: Laura M. Haas, James Madison University,
Assessment Matters
Assessment Matters articles profile state-of-the-art assessment practices to promote student learning. Articles describe collaborative campus processes and strategies for assessing student learning at both program and institutional levels. Articles should be rich in details about how to articulate expectations for learning and how to design methods, criteria, and standards of judgment to assess performance on learning expectations. Authors should also include a description of processes and strategies used to analyze and interpret patterns of student performance and to revise practices based on assessment findings to enhance student learning. Descriptions should be detailed enough to enable readers to adopt or adapt assessment practices for their particular contexts. Length: 1200, 1800, or 2400 words. Editor: Sharon J. Hamilton, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis,
Campus Commons
In this department authors tell their stories and so shed light on the special issues and challenges faced by those who live and work on our campuses—students, faculty, and staff alike. Stories can range from the humorous to the heartbreaking and everything in between. They can examine personal experiences, campus events, the mundane, or the unusual. Ultimately, they should inspire readers to think in a new way about students and learning. Length: 1200, 1800, or 2400 words. Editor: Deb McCarthy, Southwestern University,
What They're Reading
This department alerts readers to media that have piqued the interest of higher education professionals and that provide insight into the issues affecting student learning. Books, resource manuals, movies, and videos are discussed in this department. The primary audiences of works reviewed here range from college students to faculty to professional staff to parents. Reviews should go beyond a simple summary of the resource and should highlight how the work can be used by various audiences and what makes the work worth noting. Length: 1200 or 1800 words. Editor: Stephen John Quaye, University of Southern California,
Bottom Line
Bottom Line articles are brief opinion pieces advocating a position on a particular issue, calling readers’ attention to a challenge facing higher education, or issuing a call to action. Here authors are called upon to write strong persuasive essays and draw on evidence as necessary to make their case. Authors should offer solutions or courses of action to address the problem or issue they present. Because these articles present a strong, often personal, perspective, it can often be awkward to include more than one author. We ask that authors who are collaborating keep this in mind and make sure that they can comfortably describe all opinions and experiences using the first person plural, “we” and “us.” Length: 1200 or 1800 words. Editor: Kari Taylor, Miami University,