The ecosystem model is a design process utilizing an ecological approach. The manual presents processes developed and used during on-site campus applications of the model. It illustrates how work on a micro-level ecosystem project can be divided into stages, with instructions for accompanying discussions and process procedures for each. The manual…

During the last decade, there has been growing interest and research in environmental assessment. One environment that has received special attention is the university environment. Since environments are seen to relate to a person's growth and development, it follows that environments that maximize the match between students' needs, goals, and…

The cycle of student stress is identified and used to design a more suitable programming and helpful environment. (Author)

This paper describes the Student Perceptions Survey (SPS), a simplified, pragmatic, and nontechnical approach to inventorying student needs and student perceptions of available help on the campus. A literature review on assessing institutional environments and the developmental tasks of college age students is provided. The SPS incorporates the…

A student engagement model is proposed to provide a conceptual framework for understanding the bond between student and college. The model focuses on a student's motivation for attending college, the tension that derives from conflicting motivations, and the social context of the student-college bond. The validity of the model was examined in a…

Recent data show that while attrition is a problem for the college population as a whole, it is particularly so for minority students attending predominantly white colleges and universities. In addition to financial and academic difficulties, minority students are faced with such concerns as the low number of minority faculty and student support…

An ecosystem approach to the management of dysfunctional stress in a medical education setting is described. Students described the major stressors as information-input overload, shortage of time, inadequate feedback regarding performance, and poor quality of interpersonal relationships. Appropriate interventions were designed. (Author/MLW)

At present, departments of communication do not have the same political status as other college departments, even though they provide more than their share of tuition revenue. To establish themselves as a viable political force, departments of communication must create an observable impact on the daily operating procedure of other academic…

There has been growing interest in the design of campus environments. Since environments are related to growth and/or dysfunction, a program designed to heighten the fit between students and their environment is advantageous. The Resident Environment Adaption Program (REAP) is a five stage service designed to enable students to heighten the fit…

The concept and implementation of long-range planning for student affairs is considered, and a simple model for planning that could be useful to chief student personnel officers is presented. Several issues are considered in this process: the conditions and premises crucial to planning, a systematic approach to planning, the locus of the planning…

The literature on adult learners is reviewed, and two models of adult learning are developed. Demographic, social, and technological trends that stimulate the increasing demand for learning opportunities are examined, and the views of those who see dangers in new pressures on adults to participate in organized learning activities are considered.…