Related Research

*Seifert, T., Gillig, B., Hanson, J., Pascarella, E., & Blaich, C. (2014). The conditional nature of high impact/good practices on student learning outcomes. Journal of Higher Education, 85(4), 531-564.

  • There are few silver bullets in post-secondary education. Even those experiences and practices that research has shown to be high-impact or a “good practice” may better for some students than others. Findings presented in this article suggest that high impact/good practices are most strongly related to learning outcomes for students who enter post-secondary with the greatest opportunity for growth.

*Nelson Laird, T., Seifert, T., Pascarella, E., Mayhew, M., & Blaich, C. (2014). Deeply affecting first-year students’ thinking: Deep approaches to learning and three dimensions of cognitive development. Journal of Higher Education, 85(3), 402-432.

  • Student affairs and services staff often talk about how they ask students to integrate and apply course concepts to real-world situations happening on campus and beyond. The results from this study suggest that students who are called on to integrate and reflect on their learning make substantial learning gains on several cognitive outcomes. Bring out those reflective journals!

*Seifert, T. (2014). Student affairs and services staff in English-speaking Canadian postsecondary institutions and the role of CACUSS in professional education. Journal of College Student Development, 55(3), 295-309.

  • Professional associations serve an important function in providing professional development opportunities for their members and creating a sense of identity and affiliation to the field. This article examines how the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services association has done this among its members and across the field in Canada more broadly.

Seifert, T., & Billing, M. (2013). Synergistic supervision using a competency-based professional development plan. Communiqué, 13(2), 21-22.

Seifert, T., & Billing, M. (2010, November). Competencies for Canadian student affairs practice: Crafting a professional development plan. Communiqué, 11(1), 20-22.

Using Competencies to Craft a Professional Development Plan

Worksheet for Crafting Competency-based PD Plan

Feel free to download the materials above and jump start developing your PD plan using SMART goals. More about the PD plan, how we developed the competencies, and how you can use the competencies to develop a PD plan using SMART goals is detailed in the article below.

*Goodman, K., Baxter Magolda, M., Seifert, T., & King, P. (2011). Good practices for student learning: Mixed method evidence from the Wabash National Study. About Campus, 2, 2-9.

  • This article is written for practitioners and illustrates how student affairs and services staff can use findings from a longitudinal multi-institutional study to better foster student learning on their campus.

Strange, C., Hardy Cox, D., & Seifert, T. (2011). Who are we and what do we do? Canadian student services in profile. Communiqué, 12(1), 15-16.

  • Based on data from a pan-Canadian survey of 12 institutions, this article describes the educational and campus experiences of student affairs and services staff, their perceptions of the student affairs and services field, and their engagement with professional development.

*Seifert, T., Goodman, K., King, P., & Baxter Magolda, M. (2010). Using mixed methods to study first year college impact. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 4(3), 248-267.

  • This article focuses on how researchers and staff conducting assessment may use mixed methods to study student success in the first postsecondary year.

*Seifert, T., Pascarella, E., Goodman, K., Salisbury, M., & Blaich, C. (2010). Liberal arts colleges and good practices in undergraduate education: Additional evidence. Journal of College Student Development, 51, 1-22.

  • Using data from 19 institutions from across the United States, this article describes how students experience good practices in postsecondary education differently based on the type of institution (research university, comprehensive university, baccalaureate university or community college) they attend.

 *Indicates journals that are available through most educational databases.