Residential education: Creating sandboxes for Student Development Pieter Kloppers University of Stellenbosch

Student learning Students learn everywhere wherever they are.

More than a degree. Skills in: Leadership; Communication; Teambuilding; Cross-functional teambuilding; Diversity; and, An international mindedness.

More than a degree. Skills in: Leadership; Communication; Teambuilding; Cross-functional teambuilding; Diversity; and, An international mindedness. Add embrace change & entrepreneurial

Student Housing contribute to: Students with the necessary: knowledge; skills; experience; and, confidence to help create and support healthy communities.

University’s Dilemma How do we facilitate the learning if it happens on so many places at the same time?

Utilizing: Influence of structure on behavior, Peer influence in student development, A campus with a healthy student-lecturer interaction outside of the classroom; a peer influence supportive of academic excellence and the use of intrinsic motivation of students, Systems theory; and Utilizing dialogue as tool for student development.

Influence of structure Good Samaritan experiment The structure always wins

Peer Influence Single biggest influence on student development

A campus successful in teaching Pascarella and Terenzini (How College Affects Students, 1991) frequent student-lecturer interaction; makes use of the intrinsic motivation of students; and, has a peer influence where on campus friendships are conducive to academic success

System theory What causes what to give us this result?

1 changes the behaviour of

Dialogue as tool for student development Do not think of building democracy as the building of a house, think of it as a conversation to be had.

Alignment conversation vs Meetings

Creating Sandboxes

Sandboxes A structure where all factors to be utilized come together Organizational or physical Clear what to do Little time wasted on introduction and explanation

Clusters of residences Better delivery of service Peer influence utilised More intimate university experience Intrinsic motivation of students utlised Make use of diversity

Living and learning communities for senior students Diverse in gender, race, study program A topic – such as a millennium goal A guide from university staff 12 Lounge seminars Publish in student newspaper Report

Lounge seminar – student lecturer interaction A way to leverage the expectations and goals of first year students

Student development and learning cannot be switched on or off. Students only have a university experience Creating the structures to be deliberate and intentional about learning in university housing is an ongoing challenge.