RM Class Week 4

3. RESPOND TO 2 OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN THE
DISCUSSION BOARD:
•WHAT DID YOU LEARN THROUGH THE SOCIOGRAM EXERCISE ABOUT YOUR RESIDENTS/COMMUNITY?
•WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU CURRENTLY SEEING IN YOUR COMMUNITY/BUILDING?
•HOW CONNECTED ARE STUDENTS ON YOUR FLOOR TO EACH OTHER/THE COMMUNITY?
•WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO FOSTER CONNECTIONS? WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED?
•WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO TO OVERCOME THOSE CHALLENGES?
•WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT SYSTEMSDO YOU HAVE? WHAT ROLE HAVE THEY PLAYED IN YOUR RM EXPERIENCE THUS FAR?
•HOW DO YOU THINK BEING AN RM HAS IMPACTED WHO YOU ARE AND THE WAY YOU SEE YOURSELF?
•IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS THE SAME AS WHEN YOU BEGAN IN THE RM ROLE? IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU SEE
YOURSELF AS DIFFERENT?

4. LEARNING OUTCOMES
Articulate
Key elements of self-
authorship theory
Describe
How self-authorship theory
connects to A-Chats

5. SELF-AUTHORSHIP THEORY (BAXTER-MAGOLDA, 2001)
•SELF-AUTHORSHIP IS “THE INTERNAL CAPACITY TO DEFINE ONE’S BELIEFS,
IDENTITY, AND SOCIAL RELATIONS”
•SELF-AUTHORSHIP SEEKS TO ANSWER THREE KEY QUESTIONS:
•HOW DO I KNOW?
•WHO AM I?
•HOW DO I WANT TO CONSTRUCT RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS?
•THEORY HAS FOUR DISTINCT PHASES

6. PHASE 1: FOLLOWING FORMULAS
•ALLOWING OTHERS TO DEFINE WHO YOU ARE, “YOUNG ADULTS
FOLLOW THE PLANS LAID OUT FOR THEM” WHILE ASSURING
THEMSELVES THEY CREATED THESE PLANS ON THEIR OWN
•EXAMPLE: BEFORE COLLEGE, JEAN ATTENDED CHURCH REGULARLY EVERY SUNDAY
WITH FAMILY. FAITH WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF JEAN’S FAMILY LIFE. JEAN NEVER
GAVE MUCH THOUGHT TO WHY THEY WENT TO A SPECIFIC CHURCH, ONLY THAT IT
WAS TRADITION. JEAN’S FAMILY HAD BEEN PART OF THIS FAITH TRADITION FOR
GENERATIONS.

7. PHASE 2: CROSSROADS
• THE PLANS A STUDENT HAS BEEN FOLLOWING DO NOT NECESSARILY FIT ANYMORE, AND NEW PLANS NEED
TO BE ESTABLISHED. STUDENTS ARE DISSATISFIED WITH SELF.
• EXAMPLE: JEAN ARRIVES AT COLLEGE AND BEGINS ATTENDING CHURCH SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY. JEAN
DOES NOT FEEL A SENSE OF CONNECTION WITH THE CONGREGATION OR PASTOR. SOMETHING FEELS OFF AND
NOT GENUINE. AS THE SEMESTER PROGRESSES, JEAN STOPS ATTENDING CHURCH SERVICES. FAITH FEELS LIKE
LESS OF A PRIORITY FOR JEAN, AND JEAN BEGINS VOLUNTEERING ON SUNDAYS WITH A LOCAL FAITH-BASED
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION INSTEAD. JEAN REALLY ENJOYS VOLUNTEERING WITH THIS ORGANIZATION, BUT NO
LONGER FEELS OBLIGATED TO ATTEND CHURCH. JEAN IS ABLE TO TALK ABOUT FAITH THROUGH VOLUNTERRING
WITH OTHERS. JEAN FEELS GUILTY AND IS AFRAID TO TELL FAMILY MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR CHOICE NOT TO
ATTEND CHURCH REGULARLY.

8. PHASE 3: BECOMING THE AUTHOR OF ONE’S
LIFE
• CREATING THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE OWN BELIEFS AND STAND UP FOR THEM (ESPECIALLY WHEN
FACING CONFLICT OR OPPOSING VIEWS)
• EXAMPLE: THANKSGIVING BREAK ROLLS AROUND AND JEAN GOES HOME. OVER DINNER, JEAN IS
ASKED ABOUT CHURCH ATTENDANCE BY HIS FAMILY. JEAN EXPLAINS THAT THEY ENGAGE IN
THEIR FAITH THROUGH VOLUNTEERING AT A HOMELESS SHELTER ON SUNDAYS AND
MINISTERING TO THE POOR WITH STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS. JEAN HAS CONNECTED WITH A
PASTOR INVOLVED IN THAT WORK AND ATTENDS BIBLE STUDY, FINDING IT TO BE MORE HELPFUL
THAN GOING TO A CHURCH SERVICES. JEAN SAYS, “I MAY NOT GO TO THE SAME CHURCH
ANYMORE, BUT I FEEL LIKE I AM MORE ACTIVELY LIVING THE VALUES THAT I LEARNED THERE.”

9. PHASE 4: INTERNAL FOUNDATIONS
•GROUNDED IN THEIR SELF-DETERMINED BELIEF SYSTEM, IN THEIR
SENSE OF WHO THEY ARE, AND THE MUTUALITY OF THEIR
RELATIONSHIPS
• EXAMPLE: JEAN CONTINUES TO VOLUNTEER WITH THE FAITH-BASED NONPROFIT AND ATTEND BIBLE STUDY
INSTEAD OF CHURCH SERVICES. JEAN IS ABLE TO EXPLAIN THEIR CHOICES TO OTHERS, AND FEELS THAT THIS
PATH IS A MORE AUTHENTIC WAY FOR THEM TO LIVE THEIR FAITH VALUES IN EVERYDAY LIFE. JEAN RECONCILES
THIS WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS, WHO ARE INITIALLY DISAPPOINTED, BUT COME TO RESPECT JEAN’S
CHOICES.

11. SELF-AUTHORSHIP PHASES EXAMPLE

12. WHY SELF-AUTHORSHIP?
•WE HELP DESIGN LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT ENHANCE
STUDENTS’ ABILITY TO MAKE MEANING FROM THEIR
ENVIRONMENT
•HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO THE RESIDENTIAL CURRICULUM?

13. A-FRAME
• AWARENESS OF SELF – “WHO AM I?”
• AWARENESS OF OTHERS – “HOW DO I CONSTRUCT RELATIONSHIPS?”
• ACADEMIC PROGRESS – “HOW DO I KNOW?”
• ACTIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT – “HOW DO I CONSTRUCT RELATIONSHIPS”
• THE CURRICULUM HELPS STUDENTS UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THEMSELVES, AND MOVE THEM FROM
EXTERNAL FORMULAS TO THE CROSSROADS. THE CURRICULUM EVENTS HELP STUDENTS TO MAKE MEANING
OF THEIR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE AND CARING PEERS CONNECT THEM WITH RESOURCES THAT EXPAND THEIR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE POSSIBILITIES AVAILABLE TO THEM.

14. A-CHATS & SELF-AUTHORSHIP
•REFLECTIVE, INTENTIONAL, STRUCTURED ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS
•PROVIDE RESIDENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE MEANING FROM THEIR
LEARNING EXPERIENCES, CONNECT WITH RESOURCES, AND DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS
WITH A CARING PEER MENTOR (RM)

15. A-CHAT
QUESTIONS

16. A-CHAT #1 TOPICS
THERE ARE THREE BROAD TOPIC AREAS FOR CONVERSATION. AS AN RM, YOU
CREATE QUESTIONS FOR EACH TOPIC.
Transition into the
community
1
Fit within community
2
Academic
experience
3

18. STEP #1 : QUESTION CREATION
•USING THE CASES ON THE NEXT THREE SLIDES, CRAFT 1-2 QUESTIONS TO ASK THE
RESIDENT. POST YOUR QUESTIONS ON THE BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION PAGE.
•TRANSITION TO COLLEGE: CHANDLER
•FIT WITHIN COMMUNITY: BRODERICK
•ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE/ENVIRONMENT: DARA

19. TRANSITION
CHANDLER IS A RESIDENT THAT YOU DO NOT SEE VERY OFTEN ON THE HALL.
CHANDLER RARELY HAS THEIR DOOR OPEN, AND TRACKING THEM DOWN TO
TALK WAS CHALLENGING. YOU FEEL THAT YOU KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT
THIS RESIDENT.
WHAT QUESTION(S) WOULD YOU ASK CHANDLER?

20. FIT WITHIN COMMUNITY
BRODERICK IS OUTGOING AND WELL-LIKED. YOU SEE BRODERICK
FREQUENTLY ON THE HALL. THEY SEEM ENGAGED IN A LOT OF
THINGS ON CAMPUS, BUT HAVEN’T ATTENDED A FEW OF YOUR
EVENTS RECENTLY.
WHAT QUESTION(S) WOULD YOU ASK BRODERICK?

21. ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
DARA HAS EXPERIENCED A ROOMMATE CONFLICT CENTERING ON NOISE AND
SLEEP SCHEDULES THAT YOU HELPED TO MEDIATE. DARA IS STUDYING
ENGINEERING, AND YOU DO NOT SEE THEM ON THE HALL FREQUENTLY.
WHAT QUESTIONS WOULD YOU ASK DARA?

22. STEP #2: FEEDBACK
•RESPOND TO AT LEAST 1 OTHER STUDENT’S POST:
•OFFER FEEDBACK ON EACH OTHER’S QUESTIONS, CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING:
•ARE QUESTIONS CLEAR?
•ANY AWKWARD PHRASING?
•HOW NATURAL DO THE QUESTIONS FEEL?
•WHAT WOULD MAKE THE QUESTIONS STRONGER?
•HOW COULD YOU MODIFY THE QUESTION?

23. HELPFUL HINTS

24. A-chats should be natural, organic conversations
• They do not necessarily need to be formal, scheduled appointments
• Try asking a-chat questions in normal conversations with residents
Use a conversational tone
Avoid reading questions word-for-word to residents (this seems forced and awkward)
Do not ask residents to complete a questionnaire or survey in lieu of conducting a-chats
Do not have students fill out the a-chat form online
Use your sociogram to tailor a-chat questions to your community and residents

25. HOW WE USE A-CHAT DATA
• A-CHAT DATA IS ENTERED INTO A DATABASE BY RMS
• THE BUILDING SUPERVISOR AND THE ASSESSMENT TEAM CODES AND THEMES ALL A-CHAT DATA
• THE DATA IS ACCESSIBLE VIA THE BUILDING SUPERVISOR’S DASHBOARD
• DATA INFORMS PLACEMENT OF EVENTS IN THE RESIDENTIAL CURRICULUM AND INFORMS PROFESSIONAL STAFF OF
COMMON TRENDS HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY AT THAT POINT IN TIME
• I.E. HOMESICKNESS, ACADEMIC DIFFICULTIES, ADJUSTMENT ISSUES, ETC.
• HAVING THIS INFORMATION ALLOWS US TO MAKE CHANGES MID-STREAM AND OFFER OR CHANGE CURRICULAREVENTS TO
BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF RESIDENTS
• A-CHAT DATA HELPS PROFESSIONAL AND RM STAFF UNDERSTAND THE STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE BETTER, AND
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, CARE, AND SUPPORT TO STUDENTS WHO MAY BE EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES

26. FOR NEXT WEEK:
• READ CHAPTER 4 (PAGES 66-88) & CHAPTER 5 (PAGES 89-111).
• NO ASSIGNMENT DUE