Experiences of Student Affairs Professionals in Facilitating Co-Curricular Leadership Development Programmes in South African Universities

Despite the important role that student affairs practitioners play in supportinguniversities to produce well-rounded graduates, few studies have beenconducted on their lived experiences. This article examines the challengesconfronted by these professionals in interacting with student leadersand facilitating leadership programmes in South African universities. Aqualitative methodology was adopted and semi-structured interviews wereconducted with 20 student affairs practitioners responsible for facilitatingstudent leadership development programmes. A focus group discussionwas also held with six student affairs experts. The findings point to a lackof seamlessness in the structure, staffing, and operation of these programmes,as well as a lack of university support to professionalise student affairs.Furthermore, student leadership development programmes werefound to lack proper theoretical grounding. Key words: Student leadership development programmes, students,student affairs professionals

Challenges Faced by Student Affairs Practitioners in Embedding Indigenous Knowledge into Student Leadership Development Pedagogy. A Case for Zimbabwe

The drive to mainstream indigenous knowledge into student leadership development in Zimbabwean higher education has recently gained currency. Student leadership development has a Eurocentric historical background and it has continued on this paradigm in the post-independence era. Framed on decolonial theoretical framework this study interrogates the challenges that are faced by student affairs practitioners in their efforts to include indigenous epistemologies into student leadership development programmes. The research was designed as a case study that employed qualitative methods of data collection and analysis focussing on student development practice at three state universities in Zimbabwe namely Bindura University of Science Education, Chinhoyi University of Science Education and Great Zimbabwe University. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with student Affairs practitioners and analysed through NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Research findings indicate that student affairs practitioners face a myriad of problems which hinder the mainstreaming of the knowledge of the local indigenous people into leadership development. These problems include lack of training to empower them with skills to include indigenous epistemologies into student leadership training, lack of funding and policy guidelines. Theorising on this complexity the research recommends the designing of leadership programmes that imbue indigenous epistemologies of the local people in student development such as hunhu/ubuntu values.

Mainstreaming African Indigenous Epistemologies into Student Development in Higher Education: A Case of Zimbabwe

Framed in the context of decoloniality, this study advocates for the embedding of African indigenous epistemologies into student development in university education in order to emancipate it from the pervasive Eurocentric hegemony. The thesis of this paper contends that student development in higher education has remained firmly anchored on Eurocentric ways of knowing at the expense of other epistemologies especially those from the Global South. Indigenous epistemologies are interiorized and marginalized. Efforts to Africanize the curriculum have largely been piecemeal and student development theory has continued to be underpinned by Eurocentric epistemology with a devastating impact on student identity and character development. This study employed the qualitative research paradigm in which three state universities in Zimbabwe were purposively selected as research sites. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with student affairs practitioners and were analysed qualitatively through coding of emerging themes and this was complimented by the use of the NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Results revealed that Eurocentrism is largely the dominant epistemology in student development while African indigenous epistemologies are marginalized, invisibilized and interiorized. The findings also exposed several challenges that are faced by student affairs practitioners with the major ones being; inadequate institutional funding, unavailability of Afrocentric literature on Student Development as well as well as lack of space on the timetable. The study recommended the inclusion of African indigenous epistemologies into student development through the adoption models that imbue cultural values and ways of knowing of indigenous people.

Know Family, Know Self: Exploring the Influence of Family on Vietnamese American College Students’ Experiences

Much of the existing literature on Vietnamese Americans focuses on experiences of previous generations and does not capture the perspectives of the current generation of Vietnamese Americans, more specifically those who are college students. The present study examined the role of family influence on college experiences for Vietnamese American students. This study utilized qualitative methodology, analyzing data collected from semi-structured, in-person individual interviews conducted with six Vietnamese American college students (VACS) attending a large, predominantly white institution (PWI). Results from this study reveal not only how VACS construct meaning of their family influences and college experiences, but also how they come to understand their own Vietnamese American identity. Major findings from this study reveal that VACS exist between two worlds: the life of a second-generation immigrant Vietnamese American, and the life of an American college student. This article provides implications for higher education and student affairs practitioners to understand the unique experiences of this underrepresented and under-researched student population. Implications for further research are also discussed.

The Impact of the Covid‑19 Pandemic on Student Affairs Practitioners: A Reflective Case Study from Bindura University of Science Education in Zimbabwe

The Covid‑19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on faculty and student affairs practitioners which has changed the future of higher education worldwide. This reflective practitioner account looks into its impact on practitioners working in student affairs, some of which is not immediately visible, but unfortunately very significant and will surface in the medium and long term. There has been tremendous uncertainty for Student Affairs practitioners as a result of disruption from familiar routines and unexpected disengagement with their clients, the students. The change management perspective and scholarship of practice were adopted as methods of observing how a department in a university deals with unplanned change. The study concluded that the Covid‑19 pandemic impacted practitioners negatively at the case university as new skills were required, practitioners were required to adjust to new work arrangements, lost income, suffered mental health problems and faced resource constrains. Training and development, social media, employee support systems and employee incentives were catalysts in the early adoption of change.

Design Thinking

Design thinking is a process that student affairs practitioners can learn to support students in developing practices of leadership. The design thinking tool builds from ideas of transformative learning and leadership-as-practice. Deployed as an intervention for problem posing, design thinking is a tool and an opportunity to reframe how students learn. In design thinking, students are moved to problem solving through intentional practice. In this chapter, the author will explore design thinking from the lenes of transformative learning theory and leadership-as-practice. Moving through each stage of the process, she will share examples of how to use the practice with students.

Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement in Student Affairs

This chapter explores the challenges, issues, and recommendations that student affairs practitioners should consider in order to implement constructive civic learning and democratic engagement on college and university campuses in the United States. The work of student affairs directly impacts the development of students. Yet, student affairs professionals and programs face challenges in collaborating with academic affairs, understanding and practicing political neutrality, and responding to the current issues of the day. With consideration of quality and successful programs, student affairs can continue to move the needle of impact forward through new learning opportunities throughout the college experience, including restorative justice efforts, housing and residence life programs, and collaborative university themes.

Reframing as Defining in Student Affairs

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the design concept of framing and the ways in which student affairs practitioners can apply the process of reframing in their work with students and in their assessment efforts. Similar to the way designers use frames to define the problem situation, students can be prompted and coached to view their curricular and co-curricular learning experiences in new ways. This chapter applies learning sciences theory and design concepts to student affairs assessment practice, beginning with the importance of reframing for student affairs and student learning. The chapter then employs transformative learning theory and Fink's taxonomy to understand and explain the use and importance of reframing. The authors utilize literature from the design and architecture fields to describe and illustrate the concept of reframing, drawing parallels to how student affairs practitioners can apply these concepts to assess and improve student learning.