| Principle
1: Good Practice Encourages Student-Faculty Contact
Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most
important factor in student motivation and involvement. Faculty
concern helps students get through rough times and keep on working. Knowing a few faculty members well enhances students' intellectual
commitment and encourages them to think about their own values and
future plans.
1a.Throughout
my program of study I found program faculty to be accessible.
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They were accessible, but not easily accessible. I know the faculty was very busy, but at times I felt as though their research came first, and their students came second.
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My advisor was always gone on family problems
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Certain faculty were more accessible than others. In addition, certain faculty were more trustworthy than others.
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They were very accessible. Open, understanding, and willing to have good developmental conversations no matter the time of year, or how busy they were.
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My advisor was difficult to meet with and I had to meet with other faculty members to get questions answered.
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While some of my faculty were at times busy and away doing research on new projects, I could aways find a faculty member to help me with anything.
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Early in the program the faculty were very available,but as the I progessed through the program faculty were less available.
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Faculty were routinely available for assistance and guidance across all programs involved in my graduate and post graduate programs.
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1b.
Throughout my program of study I found program faculty to be willing
to assist me in meeting my individual education needs and goals.
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| Some faculty were more willing to assist than others. |
| Advisor gone on family problems |
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| There were times with the faculty of extreme challenge, but moreso they formed a very solid support system for us. Each faculty member on our small team had gifts and areas of expertise that we all appreciated and made use of throughout the program. Now that I'm in the real world, I miss our conversations, discussions, and laughter. |
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| This was amazing. They were genuinely interested in what I wanted to do and how they could help me get there. |
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| My advisors were instrumental in assisting me to develop my plans of study to facilitate a timely graduation from the program. |
1c.
Throughout my program of study I found my faculty advisor to be accessible.
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| some advisers were so busy they did not have time to meet with students. They need either more staff or fewer tasks for the staff that is there, I know neither thing is possible at present. |
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| My advisor was accessible, flexible, and accomodating |
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| She was amazing with that. A true counselor, who knows the level of development in her students, and responds to their needs. She was understanding when I struggled, but pushed me to do better at the same time. |
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| She was always available and willing to talk or help out if she could. She is one main reason why my experience at Iowa was so amazing. |
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| I don't know how many times that I knocked on the door to their office when I needed them and they welcomed me in and we worked through whatever issue was pressing at the time. |
1d.
Throughout my program of study I found my faculty advisor to be willing
to assist me in meeting my individual advising needs.
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| Advisor was critical and condensening |
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| see above comments, I think I've said it already. Loved her. |
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| yup |
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| I found that two faculty members were accessible. One was a mentor. The other worked with me when I had problems with my dissertation. He was the one that was there when I needed him. |
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| Not only that, but my advisor was extremely flexible in doing so. |
Principle
2: Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students
Learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo
race. Good learning, like good work is collaborative and social,
not competitive and isolated. Working with others often increases
involvement in learning. Sharing one's own ideas and responding
to others' reactions improves thinking and deepens understanding.
2a.
The learning environment (in and out of class) created by the program
faculty provided me with the opportunity to work collaboratively and
cooperatively with fellow students.
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| The learning environment |
| The learning environment required us to work collaboratively on many occations, but the environment set by a few of the professors, one in particular, did not set the tone for cooperation. Although we would have liked to cooperate, we felt driven to compete. It was a frustrating feeling, being that we knew the nature of school counseling (in the working world) would be cooperative collaboration. |
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| One faculty member created a tense and competitive learning environment in classes. However, the other two faculty members created positive learning environments. |
| Having a very small cohort program helped so much in the long run. With the diversity of our backgrounds and unique personalities, I think we were ready to kill each other sometimes, but in the end we saw how much we had grown as individuals by working in such an amazing group. |
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| We focused a great deal on working as a team, and it has helped me in my career a great deal. |
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| Yes. Many times students collaborated on various ideas and I found those opportunities to be very valuable later on as a university professor. |
2b.
I find/found it easy to express my ideas and respond to others in group
learning activities and projects.
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| The learning environment |
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| If the group learning activities or projects were worked on in class, one faculty member's intimidating demeanor prevented me from finding it easy to express my ideas. However, I was comfortable expressing my ideas with my peers in group learning activities and projects outside of class and in other faculty member's classes. |
| I never had any problem with expressing myself. |
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| I work mainly in teams now and I feel like my work at Iowa helped me to take practice directly from the classroom into my profession |
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| My comments were always welcome and many times all of our comments enriched the discussion that we were engaged in at the time. |
2c.
I feel that the opportunity to work together in groups enhanced my learning.
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| The learning environment |
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| It also added stress of finding time to get together to work on a project |
| Group projects were assigned too frequently and made life difficult for students, as many of us worked varying hours of the day and commuted from communities up to an hour and a half drive from Iowa City. Thus, getting together to work on projects was challenging. I didn't feel that the group projects that I was assigned enhanced my learning, but rather distributed the work among several students. |
| Definitely. There's no question the benefits I received working in groups in graduate school. |
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| Even though at times I felt frustrated or let down by the group process, I realize that I don't get to pick the people I work with, and having worked out some kinks of my own during grad school has helped make me a better team member |
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| Clearly. In my current position as a professor I use this same strategy with my students and it very effective in meeting educational goals. |
Principle
3: Good Practice Encourages Active Learning
Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just
sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged
assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they
are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply
it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves.
3. The graduate program
faculty provided me with an educationally rich environment in which
I had the opportunity to engage in active learning by participating
in activities such as:
3a. Applied practice activities
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| The learning environment |
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| This did not occur in every course. |
| Always, it is in the nature of our graduate study. |
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| lots of them! |
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| All of the activities listed in this section were part and parcel of my educational programs. Each and every one of them enhanced my ability to learn and benefit from my program and serve as a model for my own teaching with my university students. |
3b. Counseling/Helping
skill development through demonstration and practice.
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| The learning environment |
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| This only occurred in three courses. |
| Good ol microcounseling! I learned a ton from that class! |
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3c. Opportunities
for personal reflection on learning.
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| The learning environment |
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| We were asked to reflect on issues other than learning, such as issues related to our profession. |
| Journals, conversations, discussion groups. We had it all. |
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| this was emphasized throughout my program and it is something I continue to do |
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3d. Field site
visits.
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| The learning environment |
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| These visits were not very helpful. |
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3e. Group research
and presentation activities.
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| The learning environment |
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| The group projects assigned could have been completed by individuals, but would have taken much longer to complete. The ability to distribute the work among students was the only benefit to these activities. |
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| I wish there were more |
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3f. Classroom
discussion.
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| The learning environment |
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| This was rich in some courses and non-existent in others. |
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| I loved this, it is what we spent almost all of our classroom time doing |
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3g. Supportive
relationships between classroom faculty and site supervisors.
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| sometimes there seemed to be a strong boundary that was more than "professional distance" |
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| The learning environment |
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| Classroom faculty didn't offer much communication with site supervisors, but rather relied on students to communicate important information to site supervisors. It felt as though my site supervisors were frustrated by this concept. |
| This was especially helpful. My supervisors always had a clear understanding of my program. |
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3h. Supervised
practice.
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| The learning environment |
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3i. Critically
think about and discuss research.
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| The learning environment |
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Principle
4: Good Practice Gives Students Prompt Feedback
Knowing what you know and don't know focuses learning. Students need
appropriate feedback on performance to benefit from courses. In getting
started, students need help in assessing existing knowledge and competence.
In classes, students need frequent opportunities to perform and receive
suggestions for improvement. At various points during college, and
at the end, students need chances to reflect on what they have learned,
and what they still need to know, and how to assess themselves.
4a. Throughout
my program of study I received timely verbal and written feedback from
program faculty regarding my academic and applied skill-based performance
in classes.
Comments |
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| sometimes the instructors schedules were very full and the feedback was somewhat delayed but was good when it was received |
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| The learning environment |
| I did receive minimal written feedback, but I rarely, if ever, received verbal feedback regarding my academic performance. |
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| Feedback was not timely from two of the three faculty. |
| I got loads of feedback. I was warned ahead of time not to fear the "red pen" because it would make me a better writer. |
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| I received all of my work back in a timely manner, which helped me to see what I could improve upon. There was always opportunity to talk with one of my professors if I had any questions about a grade |
| Need more timely written feedback |
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| And...the feedback was provided constructively and with respect for me as a student and as a person. |
4b. I received
timely and useful feedback on my professional writing skills.
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| The learning environment |
| I'm not sure the feedback I received was useful for any purpose other than getting an "A", |
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| Feedback was not received timely from two of the three faculty. However, feedback on my professional writing skills was useful. |
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| It was timely, but not very useful in regards to my "professional" writing skills. |
| I feel like I am a much better writer now as a result of the feedback I received from faculty |
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| There was some great writing strategies. I loved receiving some information from one faculty member and He was great on writing. |
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| To be perfectly honest I brought extremely strong writing skills into the program. Faculty recognized that and provided numerous opportunities to apply them at a higher level, and the specific feedback from those opportunities was especially rewarding. |
Principle
5: Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task
Time plus energy equals learning. Efficient time-management skills
are critical for students and professionals alike. Allocating realistic
amounts of time means effective learning for students and effective
teaching for faculty. How an institution defines time expectations
for students, faculty, administrators and other professional staff
can establish the basis for high performance for all.
5a. The faculty
in my graduate program have helped my personal and professional growth
by providing me with specific and constructive feedback for assessing
my progress toward attaining my educational and professional goals.
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| The learning environment |
| I feel as though I was well prepared for my current job. |
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| The only time that this occurred was during my practicum group supervision course. |
| Looking back, I really cannot believe how much support I received and how I grew when I was there. It was amazing to think it was all jam-packed into 2 years. |
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| Suggestions and feedback was always helpful and thought provoking |
| One of the programs strenghts |
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| I was made aware periodically and in as timely manner and as a result I was able to complete my coursework right on schedule. |
5b. Course syllabi
prepared by faculty clearly articulate and outline learning activities
in such a fashion as to allow me sufficient time and opportunity to
research, prepare, and present required assignments.
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| The learning environment |
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| At least two instructors did not even have completed syllabi at the beginning of class |
| Course syllabi by one faculty member was never clearly articulated. A different faculty member assigned too many items in course syllabi, which prevented students from having adequate time and opportunity to research, prepare, and present assignments to the level of quality that they were capable of providing. |
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| holy cow Detail… |
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| Course syllabi were quite articulate and our mutual expectations were quite clear. I knew what was expected and how to ask for assistance when needed. |
Principle
6: Good Practice Communicates High Expectations
Expect more and you will get it. High expectations are important for
everyone--for the poorly prepared, for those unwilling to exert themselves,
and for the bright and motivated. Expecting students to perform well
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when teachers and institutions
hold high expectations of themselves and make extra efforts.
6a. The amount
of work required for my classes was clearly outlined and appropriate
for the learning goals for the class.
Comments |
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| The learning environment |
| I think most of the assignments were appropriate and beneficial. However, when I reflect on my graduate experience, I recall feeling as though I was constantly jumping through hoops. I'm not sure if that was my program or the nature of graduate studies. |
| If you were taking one class at a time |
| The amount of work and expectations for my classes with one particular faculty member were not clearly outlined. In addition, the amount of work assigned by this faculty member was not appropriate for the allotted classes in terms of semester hours (more work was required than was reasonable). |
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| I always felt challenged and at times overwhelmed, but I feel like each assignement was well thought out and I really loved what I learned |
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| Well, I was one of those bright and motivated students, so I took full advantage of not only what was required but what additional opportunities were available to enhance my learning. |
6b. The program
faculty promotes quality education through its establishment of high
academic and professional standards of practice as illustrated by its
screening, admission, and review and retention process.
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| The learning environment |
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| We lost good students to...what? |
| Too many students were accepted directly out of undergraduate programs with no work experience, which made them largely unprepared for the expectations of practicum and internship (even after all required courses were completed). In addition, some of these students' level of maturity was below what I felt should be the standard for a graduate program. |
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| Need more under retention process |
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| Program standards were very clear and I always knew where I stood in the educational process. These standards were quite clear and fair in every way. |
6c. I feel that
I received a high quality education that prepared me for entrance into
my profession.
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| The learning environment |
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| Substance Abuse was not stressed enough. I had an undergrad class at Iowa that was more encompassing of the the treatment methods. Instructor forced her own agenda, could not relate to the field and seemed unsure of Iowa requirements for certification. |
| It would have been helpful to have had more courses related to activities and direct service skills that we would utilize in our profession. |
| I had high value for my program when I was there, but I have even more now that I'm able to view it from the outside. |
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| I am so pleased with my education, I feel like I am a very competitive professional and one that looks to work for the betterment of students because of my program |
| my education did excellent job preparing me for academic profession... |
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| Anyone that has seen my curriculum vita has been impressed with the quality of education in this program. |
6d. The program
faculty coupled their high expectations with the support and attention
necessary for students to attain those expectations, through co-curricular
activities such as writing for publication, conference presentations,
research activities.
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| The learning environment |
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| This is one area I would have like to incorporated but the absence time for conferences would have put me behind in coursework |
| It did not feel as though faculty provided support and attention to students writing for publication or presenting at conferences. Instead, it felt like faculty encouraged these endeavors, but didn't feel that their time should be spent assisting you prepare for these things. |
| All of the above. It was all encouraged from day one. |
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| so much support... |
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| I did every single one of these and received two national awards and a university award for my efforts during my program. Program faculty expectations made all of that possible. I continue to publish with program faculty even now. |
Principle
7: Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
There are many roads to learning. People bring different talents and
styles of learning to college. Brilliant students in the seminar room
may be all thumbs in the lab or art studio. Students rich in hands-on-experience
may no do so well with theory. Students need the opportunity to show
their talents and learn in ways that work for them. Then they can
be pushed to learning in ways that do not come so easily.
7a. Program faculty demonstrate a
high degree of regard for diverse learning styles by providing students with opportunities to
demonstrate their knowledge through both didactic and applied learning activities.
Comments |
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| The learning environment |
| Our assignments came in a variety of forms. However, I don't know that I would say the faculty held a "high degree" of regard for diverse learning styles. The majority of my grades came from regular forms of assessments - tests and essays. |
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| In each individual course, there were not a variety of options among the types of assignments required that would suggest an attempt to accommodate diverse learning styles. Instead, most courses required completion of exams, written assignments, and occasionally one presentation was required (per course). This does not seem appropriate for the student who can demonstrate his/her learning through presentation better than through the written word or exams. Clearly, his/her grade would suffer due to the inability to demonstrate his/her knowledge via the learning style that works best for him/her. |
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| These opportunities continued throughout the program and were critical to my development. |
7b. Program faculty demonstrate a high degree of regard for
diversity in persons, experiences, and backgrounds, in and out of class.
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| The learning environment |
| I agree for the most part. But I didn't always feel respected and looked at as an individual, instead of just as a student. However, I do not feel feel as though the disrespect was intentional. |
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| yes, I learned so much from them |
| Programs's stenghts |
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| This program had a strong commitment to diversity at every level. |
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